In a recent Perkbox UK Survey with over 16,000 participants, it was discovered that 79% of Human Resource professionals reported unhealthy levels of job stress. To a person not directly in the field, it may be surprising but to a professional in the field, this comes as no surprise.
Real Reasons HR Professionals are Mentally Stressed
An HR professional is usually aware that employee advocacy is a critical part of the job hence, being accountable to business stakeholders often brings you within the front lien of forces/ staff you need to co-manage. It is often as a case of making a camel pass through the eye of a needle to find an HR professional well-liked by both the employees and the management. It’s either they advocate for the employees so much that, they have issues with the management or they support the management so much that, the employees fear and dislike them.
Asides the stakeholders/management stress, conflict and disciplinary management process in the workplace also gives you those aches you often don’t expect. Then to cap it all, line managers/team leads will constantly report that their units’ low performance is as a result of the quality of staff or lack of it traceable to the HR desk. All of these and more are the hidden “perks” of the HR Profession.
Steps to Managing Mental Stress as HR Professionals
Managing stress has to be a conscious and intentional effort in order to enhance effectiveness. Below are some ways to manage mental stress for HR Professionals:
- Maintaining clear communication aimed at managing employee expectations.
A lot of HR Professionals feel helpless and mentally drained when they realize they cannot help all employees. An HR professional should listen to employees’ problems but never give them the unbreakable assurance of fixing it all. You are not employed to be a savior, so do not try to be one! An HR professional has to realize that the authority to make some decisions lies beyond them thus, should never give absolute assurances.
- Turn co-workers into friends
Humans are social beings and we are designed to want meaningful connections with those around us. Office politics can make building friendship tricky but those who take the chance tend to enjoy better mental health.
- Proactively eliminate stress
This include making time for your hobbies, spending time with those you love, exercising, letting go and forgiving yourself for mistakes made in the line of duty.
In conclusion, HR professionals are not the easiest people to convince that they need to take care of themselves. Some tend to build and maintain iron-clad boundaries around themselves to dispel any form of weakness or vulnerability. More than anything, HR professionals should realize that they are human and as humans, Rest and self-love is important more so, for you.
A proactive way of eliminating stress is outsource your headaches or work-related stressors to a competent HR Consulting Firm like HRLeverage Africa Consulting Ltd. This gives you the time and soundness of mind to focus on other less stressful part of HR that you enjoy. Take the step by sending us a mail.
To enjoy a stress-free and productive HR Practice, send a mail to info@hrleverageafrica.com!!!
