For many the arrival of summer is embraced as a positive change. The emergence of sunnier weather conditions brings a sense of optimism that can be felt in the workplace. Thoughts inevitably turn towards summer breaks, holidays and the chance to get away.
However, despite these positives, research shows that nearly 60% of employees experience higher levels of stress, anxiety and burnout across the summer months[i]. This is due to a number of factors.
Summer is mistakenly viewed as a bit of a slower time for business as many members of staff take leave to go on holiday, with non-urgent work being sidelined for a while. However, the reality is that the work demands stay the same but the reduced staffing means added burden for those left in the office.
Employees often receive increased workloads and responsibilities to cover for colleagues who are on leave. This exacerbates work-life balance issues with people working longer hours to meet their professional demands, impacting their performance, focus and mental wellbeing. Added to this many employees are also coping with increased childcare responsibilities over the summer holidays, adding further time and financial stressors. It is no wonder many employees experience sleep issues, burnout and increased stress and anxiety over the summer months.
At Wellbeing Partners we have a variety of workshops that can support your employees through times of heightened demand:
From Anxious to Calm: This 60-minute interactive workshop focuses on helping individuals understand anxiety and how it impacts us, delivered by our workplace mental health professionals who specialise in anxiety. The session provides actionable and effective techniques and skills that can help people reduce anxiety in the moment and develop longer term resistance to anxiety triggers.
Avoiding Burnout: A 60-minute interactive workshop that takes an expansive look at burnout causes and symptoms, and highlights key areas in which the participant can affect change in their lives to avoid and recover from burnout. It focuses on how small but effective changes in behaviour, mindset and emotional intelligence can be utilised to make us more resilient in the face of challenges.
Coping with Stress – a 4 part bite-sized course: This course features 4 x 30-minute sessions, each one building on the skills of the previous session. Led by experienced mental health professionals who specialise in managing stress and thriving in stressful situations, the course has four distinct parts covering analysis of stress, mindset techniques to cope with stress, actions to reduce stress, and sleep psychology for increasing resilience to stress.
If you would like more information on any of these workshops or courses, please complete the form below or email [email protected]
[i] https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/06/12/what-employers-can-do-to-make-your-summer-less-stressful#:~:text=Summer%20stress&text=A%20recent%20study%20of%20HR,add%20to%20their%20workplace%20woes.