When faced with stress and difficulties at work, studies show that the rates are alarmingly high. According to this study over 94% of workers experience high levels of stress in the workplace with 6% saying that they don’t experience stress.
When faced with stress, employees are reported of doing one of two things. The first group reporting that they push through the situation, with work quality suffering as a result, and the second reporting that they ignore the problem altogether, hoping it will go away, with productivity suffering as a result.
With many companies incorporating different initiatives and strategies to mitigate employee burn-out, such as “break rooms”, these work well in short term, aiding in day to day breaks, long-term stressors are a large factor in the problems employees face.
How can learning new skills help relieve stress?
According to research employees who engage in learning behaviour, such as seeking out new information and reflecting on their team’s working progress, report lower levels of burnout. Collaborating with other employees and learning as a collective could aid in better learning experiences, higher trust and better morale.
Learning and developing new skills aids in mitigating the negative effects of stress and contributes to better mental well-being, with individuals and employees reporting better self-esteem and a better sense of achievement.
Prioritizing learning at work.
This being said, prioritizing learning at work should be a part of our day to day schedules and included in personal and professional goal-setting.
Communicate and collaborate with your colleagues – Getting your peers involved with learning habits could help in achieving learning goals, and getting different perspectives. This pushes up morale and determination to learn and succeed.
Viewing learning as a work break – Separating your learning from work and viewing it as a productive, goal-oriented way to get away from work stress will increase it’s benefits.
Remember what you’re learning for – Long-term, learning new skills aids in personal and professional growth. We all strive to grow, whether it be in a personal capacity, gaining a new position at work or pursing a passion, learning new skills could aid in us gaining that promotion, starting our own business or gain new relationships. Coupled with stress-relief, the positives outweigh the negatives.
Want to learn something new?
Mind the Gap Solutions offers over 180 short soft skills courses for personal and professional development. Whether you’re looking to grow individually or as a team, get in touch for a look at our range of soft skills short courses. Our email. Our Website.
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