The world of work can be an incredibly stressful place at times. Here are our 4 top quick tips for when your project team is stressed.
The workplace is a stressful environment, and despite the huge improvements in technology that really should make things easier, they seem to have become even more stressful. Businesses, and employees, are consistently pushing themselves to do even better. Whilst a little bit of stress will do no harm when it comes to making sure you reach your goals, a team that is stressed can struggle to complete tasks on time. And we all know that a team that is stressed will not perform to the best of their ability.
We have put together a list of just 4 quick calming tips that can really help when your project team are stressed.
Avoid multitasking
Whilst multitasking can, and does, work, it also means that your team are not focused on just one task but rather several at the same time. This can be a temporary solution, for example when you are short of a team member for a little while, but it should never be a long-term solution. If your team are multi-tasking, then take a look at the work loads and the skills of the people on your team and reorganise things to avoid unnecessary stress on any individual.
Listen to your team
The number one rule when it comes to project management, is that it is vital for the manager of a project to listen to their team members. When everyone is panicking about your project it is well worth while getting input on the issues from every member of the team. Really listen to what they have to say because there is a good chance that someone on the team might have thought of a solution that nobody else has, something that works and will really help to reduce those stress levels that have been building.
Being the kind of project manager who listens to their team is a great way to help reduce stress levels and help keep them low because your team members will know that they can come to you and, hopefully, count on you.
Find the source of the stress
It seems obvious really but working as quickly as you can to find the source of the stress means that you will be able to deal with it as quickly as possible. And this in turn means that you will be able to help your entire team to reduce their stress. So as soon as you notice that something is stressing your team, take time to ask questions and locate the source of the issue. A good leader is on top of the things that affect their team.
Plan ahead
A project manager who is proactive will think ahead, rather than anticipating an issue that might occur they will have already thought of the possibility and will have used their insight to ensure that there are measures in place to help calm the situation and ensure that stress levels for team members do not become too high.
