Why chronic work stress doesn't have to be the norm

Despite the progress employers have made in supporting mental health, employees are staying tight-lipped about what's bothering them. Are we destined to live with unresolved stress forever? 

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, while 74% of employees feel comfortable talking about mental health at work, a third of employees would not talk about their own specific mental health challenges with colleagues or supervisors, due to stigma and concern it would impact how they're viewed in the workplace. 

While it's important to acknowledge the strides society has made in accepting and discussing mental health, it's critical those conversations are paired with actionable solutions so employees can actually reduce the impact stress has on their well-being, says Edward Beltran, CEO of Fierce, an employee training and development platform. 

"People are able to talk about [mental health], but you have to be able to talk about it in an actionable way," he says. "We have grown accustomed to just accepting aggregate stress. We're trying to help empower employees to become self-aware around what their distinct stressors are: My workload is too much, or I'm dealing with workplace conflict. Then you can move into action."

Read more: Managers need help talking about mental health. Here's where to start 

That means learning to be more self-aware and keying in to physical cues that could provide more insight into what can be done to reduce those factors. To facilitate this mind-body connection, Beltran's company is developing an app called Pulse, which connects to an employee's smartwatch. The app gathers data around how a person's body is responding to stress, and then offers interactive tools and coaching support to reduce those triggers. 

"Our bodies don't lie, and they're constantly responding to stress," Beltran says. "We've created an app where we're actually able to take data and show people what they're responding to in their environment, and more importantly, what to do about it." 

For example, if an employee is in a meeting and experiences a microaggression that makes them upset or uncomfortable, their body might respond with an elevated heart rate. Unaddressed, this could lead to chronic stress and unhappiness. Instead, being able to identify those specific interactions and how they're impacted enables employees to discuss the situation with a colleague or manager to find a solution. 

Read more: How to support employees who are struggling with their mental health 

"There are many things  we can do to manage the symptoms of stress or emotional well-being, but it doesn't get down to what's really stressing you out and what you need to tackle in your day-to-day," Beltran says. "We're integrating wearable devices to be able to help people become more self-aware and then prime people on how to engage in their environment." 

Once an employee knows what's bothering them, they can give feedback or bring attention to the issue, rather than relying on meditation or other self-care methods that may not resolve the broader challenge at hand. While those tools have a place, they'll work more effectively when utilized in more specific ways, Beltran says. 

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While the app is still in its pilot phase, Pulse has tracked a 30-40% reduction in stress among users. Beltran hopes it will eventually lead to more open conversations between employees and managers, and a greater understanding of how to address specific issues an employee may be dealing with. 

"It's a lot easier to have a conversation with your manager where you say, 'You might notice my energy is a little bit lower because in meetings I've been having a struggle with this peer, but I am taking action,' rather than saying, 'I'm overly stressed out,'" Beltran says. "That's very hard for a manager to respond to. The real training is in driving that self-awareness and empowering the individual to take action."