It’s inevitable that there will be circumstances that make your employees feel stressed out. But if such circumstances persist for long periods of time, it could take a serious toll on their mental health and productivity. Here are some things you can do to help when you notice an overstressed employee.

Reorganize Responsibilities

The primary problem that you face, beyond that of putting too much pressure on an employee, is making sure that the work in question still gets done. Don’t be afraid to be flexible. Have contingency plans for the reassignment of important duties that cannot be put on a waiting list. You might have to cut some corners or speed up the process in extreme situations (like training a new employee on an important task very quickly). Regardless, be ready to adjust how the work is divided on any given day according to the needs of your workers.

Hire More People

Oftentimes, your employees are feeling pressure simply because there is always too much to do and not enough manpower to take care of it all. As an employer, you of course want to save as much money as possible, and not be paying superfluous employees. But as a result, are you picking up the slack when you become unexpectedly busy? Don’t leave your employees in a difficult situation if you can’t personally alleviate enough of their stress to make them into efficient employees again. While hiring can be stressful in and of itself, it will be a far better option in the long run. Getting the process of hiring down shouldn’t be too difficult; interviewing is all about asking the right questions.

Understand What Is Essential and What Isn’t

The time when you really need to push forward and hire more people or reorganize responsibilities only should be necessary in the cases of most importance. When a matter of real seriousness is at hand, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do in order to get the task done. Solving the problem takes short-term priority here. That being said, in all cases of lesser importance, your priority should be the mental health of your employees. Any routine task that doesn’t seriously compromise your service can wait.

Remember, your employees are your most valuable tools – and are human. If they aren’t feeling safe and fulfilled in your workspace, then they will leave. If you want to build a company culture of integrity and communication, you have to put in the effort to do so.

Check out this article on how to keep employees from leaving your company!