How to Support Your Employees Even When You're Swamped Managing your own startup stress while guiding team members isn't an easy feat. Here's how to keep them working efficiently without losing focus on your own tasks.
By John Boitnott Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Feeling swamped? It's not just you. According to The American Institute of Stress, 80% of workers feel stressed on the job, and 75% believe they're under more stress today than their counterparts were a generation ago.
As a manager, it can be even harder to manage stress. That's because you're not just carrying the weight of your responsibilities — you also have a responsibility to support your team.
And if you don't provide your team with the support they need, new issues could pop up, leaving you feeling like you're playing a corporate version of "whack-a-mole," smacking down one problem only to face two new ones.
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How can managers learn to manage stress while offering their team members the guidance and support they need to excel? Here are some ways to keep your team working efficiently without losing focus on your own responsibilities.
Communicate with your team
Let your workers know you're busy and why. That way, there's no opportunity for miscommunication or for your employees to wonder if you might be actively ignoring them. Transparent communication might also prompt your workers to be selective about when and how they bring additional problems to your attention.
You can accomplish this individually through daily check-ins, but you can also express yourself in a team meeting or even an office-wide memo. The point is that you remain upfront with your team members so they thoroughly understand the problems your department or organization faces and aren't forced to guess how you're feeling.
After your initial communication, you might consider providing updates so your employees understand where you are and how to respond.
Some managers see having an over-full workload as a badge of honor. Others have a hard time admitting they're overwhelmed, almost as if they're admitting weakness. This is a great opportunity to lead by example, demonstrating a healthy way to communicate feelings of stress and promoting a culture of mental health in the workplace.
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Communicate what you need
It's important to be very clear about what you need from each employee when you're inundated with work. This ensures that everyone in your organization is on the same page about their responsibilities and how they fit into your company's broader goals. This kind of communication is more important than ever in today's ultra-fast-paced work world.
When you're overwhelmed, employees might notice a shift in communication patterns or management style. For instance, if you interact with your staff less frequently, employees might assume something negative has happened or even internalize this shift and assume they've disappointed you. As a result, your team members might keep mum and make only the bare minimum of progress toward their goals.
Instead, managers should be proactive and take steps to ensure that their employees understand the reasons behind any changes in their leadership style, as well as give them a clear idea of their responsibilities moving forward.
It's also okay to say, "I need you to figure this out for yourself" from time to time. Such hand-offs even have the unexpected benefit of giving your employees the freedom to take initiative and employ their problem-solving faculties, which can pay dividends once your schedule returns to normal.
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Ask your employees for help
To paraphrase the Beatles, the best managers get by with a little help from their friends. Asking your employees for help can reduce your workload and might empower your teams to take on added responsibility in the future.
For instance, if you look at your to-do list, you might find activities you can unload onto your team members. That requires trust, of course, but there's a chance that your team will rise to the challenge and surprise you by demonstrating competence in an area you hadn't expected.
At the very least, you'll guarantee that your responsibilities are being handled, giving you more time to focus on big-picture items or clear away the tasks that are giving you the most difficulty.
And who knows? If your team performs well on these additional tasks, you might consider asking them to contribute in these areas more often.
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Set clear priorities
Chances are that you're not the only one struggling to balance your responsibilities. Your employees could also be wondering how to prioritize their workload and focus on what matters most.
Without much-needed guidance, they'll waste time on tasks that don't matter as much as your most immediate assignments, which will only reduce the efficiency of your entire team.
That's where you come in. As the manager, you can provide input to your team to help them understand your priorities or what's best for your company. A brief conversation or team meeting can address these questions, after which your team will be better prepared for the days ahead.
That said, don't be surprised if priorities shift, and remind team members to remain flexible as well. Most importantly, make sure people understand exactly what's expected of them and what assignments are the most important.
Making use of convenient communication tools like Zoom or Slack (or even email) can make it easier to send periodic updates to keep your team aligned and focused, no matter what changes come your way.
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Take a step back
You might be a manager, but you're also human at the end of the day. That means it's okay to feel overwhelmed. When it happens, it helps to take a step back and think about what really matters. Doing so can bring your priorities into sharper focus and remind you why you started doing what you do in the first place.
Taking some time away can focus your thoughts and prevent you from experiencing burnout. Exercise, for example, has been shown to release endorphins and help manage stress.
Getting in a quick workout can do wonders for your overall health and help you clear your head so you can come back and attack your problems with a fresh perspective. Once again, this is all the more important when you're a leader. You have a unique opportunity to model positive self-care practices so your employees understand the importance of mental health breaks.
Moreover, it's a good reminder for your entire staff that your company isn't the most important thing in life. These sorts of reality checks can promote greater work-life balance throughout the year.
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Getting swamped without stressing out
Everyone deals with stress occasionally — it's just part of having a job. But that doesn't mean that busyness has to derail your agenda, your team or your collective morale.
How you deal with stress says a lot about you as a manager and a person. With the right attitude, you can avoid letting your workload wreak havoc on your team's vision or mental well-being.
Ultimately, your adjustments will make your workplace more resilient and improve your company's operational efficiency. That's been the goal all along, hasn't it?
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