The Family Doctor Associate, which represents GPs in more than 1000 surgeries across Britain, last year reported a rise in the number of teenagers seeking help for ‘exam related’ stress.

Whilst speaking to a friend today she was bemoaning the fact that  yet another Under 17’s cricket match had been cancelled. It was not due to the weather but because the opposition could not raise a team. It seems that some parents would not let their son/daughter play, as ‘they had to study for their GCSE exams’.

Exams are important but so is the need to exercise and relax.  A few hours  away from study,  doing some exercise or working on a hobby will probably be more beneficial than spending hour after hour staring at text books. After a while the study just becomes a blur and nothing is being gained.  This often causes more stress as the child begins to panic that they can’t take any more information in.

By leaving the books behind for a while and doing something else students can return to their study relaxed, refreshed and more focussed.  The chances are that following exercise they will also sleep better – especially important if they have an exam the following day.

Yes – children should be encouraged to study and take their exams seriously but it is very important that they do not feel under so much pressure that they become ill.

Well the reason I was suprised is that I am not a regular user of this car park and hadn’t been there for at least 4 months yet the man remembered me.  Why?

Am I the most stunning looking women in Leeds?  – No
Have I some obvious disfigurement?    – No

He said ‘ I remember you because you always SMILE’.

I must admit it made me feel good to know that someone remembered me for being nice and what is more he reduced the parking charge because I was only 5 minutes over the change over time so I saved money too!  Another reason to SMILE

I know that at times there may not seem much to smile about but looking miserable will not make things any better either.  I am sure many of us have worked with a ‘Moaning Minnie’ who sees everything in a negative way. These people can very quickly lower the  morale of the workplace.

Someone with a cheery smile can lighten up a room, change the mood of others and make the whole place a much more pleasant environment to work in.

So get out there and SMILE – Hopefully people will smile back and we can all feel much better!

As an employer you are not responsible for an employee’s personal problems but if you already have health and well-being initiatives in place these will go a long way in helping them deal with any personal issues they may be having.

If you don’t have any systems in place at the moment why not consider running some short stress management sessions which give employees simple tools to help them deal with stress and other health and well-being issues.

Four in ten  heads of small companies are risking their health and wellbeing to ‘hold down the fort’ due to staff absences.

According to Bupas’s most recent research, nearly two thirds (62%) of small businesses said that employee absence is hindering the business, which in effect, is estimated to have cost businesses 10% of their turnover.

With added pressure from the economic downturn and a lack of resources, a third of SME bosses (31%) said their businesses would plummet if they took any time off.

Despite these pressures, 38%  of bosses admit they spend more on office stationary rather than supporting measures for employee health and wellbeing.

Here at The WorkWell Partnership we offer a range of cost effective, non-distruptive  services to enable businesses to implement health and wellbeing initiatives.

Some people turn to destructive behaviours to deal with stress, such as smoking, drinking, doing drugs, engaging in disordered eating and self-harming.

Other people turn to productive behaviours such as taking light exercise, improve their diet, consulting with others and allowing their creativity to shine through in writing, painting, drawing, music or other hobbies.

Recognising the productive behaviours that can help you work through stress, while at the same time avoiding destructive behaviours, should allow you to become more efficient at stress relief in the future.

We can not get rid of all the stress in our lives but we can take steps to manage it

A few days ago I switched on my laptop , all was well then suddenly – NOTHING! – totally blank screen.  Now technology and I do not always get on well so I was somewhat stressed out by this turn of events! All my work was on my laptop and if the problem was not fixable I would have lost hours and hours of work.  My colleague told me not to panic because if the worst had happened I could always retrieve my work from the backup.  And there of course lay the problem.  I had not backed up my work for ages because I had got out of the routine of doing so. By forgetting to do this simple task I was heading for a potential major problem.

Fortunately after fiddling about for a little while normal service was resumed but I had put myself under unnecessary stress which was totally avoidable.

So take a look at some of the things that could potentially cause you stress and see if you can put a simple system in place to reduce the stress risk.

If you wish to know more about how Small Changes can make a Big Difference call us for details of our workshop.

In challenging economic times businesses can benefit more than ever by investing in employee health and well-being. The health and well-being of people working within a business or organisation, at any level, directly affects its performance and inevitably the all important ‘bottom line’. We know that stressed employees are more likely to be inefficient, disengaged, absent, resign or subject to disciplinary measures. Their negativity can also impact on other members of staff. These factors add cost by way of sick pay, overtime, recruitment, training, poor accuracy, dismissal procedures and potential loss of clients. SME’S can be particularly badly affected as roles tend to be more defined with less scope to cope with unplanned absences.

It has to be said that not all stress is bad. A certain amount of stress is necessary to motivate us and too little stress can actually make us bored and disinterested. It is the difference between the stress that motivates and the stress which causes ineffectiveness or illness that needs to be addressed.

It can be forgotten that factors outside the workplace, such as money worries, employment or illness issues within the family can adversely affect a person’s performance at work and impact on even the best run businesses. As an employer or manager you may not be able to help directly, but it does pay to be aware of such a situation so as to be able to monitor that person and minimize risk to the business.

Stress related problems can have both physical and mental causes and equally can manifest themselves both physically and mentally; illness, aches and pains, RSI, tiredness right through to time off work with a note from the doctor saying ‘work related stress’.

In times when it can be difficult to justify ‘across the board’ salary increases measures directed at staff well-being can be doubly beneficial. You are not only showing that you care, but you are helping to retain key staff for the time when business picks up, as well as ticking a number of Health and Safety boxes.

Companies who wish to show their staff that they are valued are looking to introduce ‘soft benefits’ which are not only appreciated by the employees but can offer substantial benefits to the business at a comparatively low cost.

Not all employees’ wish to take advantage of these ‘soft benefits’ but in many cases the fact that they are available means that they feel valued.

Companies who offer benefits to their employees often attract high calibre employees who are productive, motivated and loyal.

Soft benefits provided by companies include :-

• Workplace massage
• Health and Well-being sessions
• Gym membership
• Zumba classes
• Yoga
• Tai chi
• Giving employee a day off for their birthday