Psychosocial damage can occur when workplace stresses get too great, but how can we tell that people are stressed, before the harm is done?
There’s a few different signs you can look for that indicate stress – being frustrated, feeling guilty, being irritable, worrying, negative thoughts, or low confidence – and these can often be seen by others as well.
Any noticeable change in behaviour – a deviation from normal – can also indicate that a person is experience unusually high levels of stress.
What’s the best response in these situations? Asking if someone is OK is a good place to start, but may not prove very fruitful.
Trying the “feed forward” approach may generate more productive responses from someone who’s stressed, without raising their defences.
