You're a people manager and one of your team members is struggling with stress. What can you do to help?

You have to know what’s the reason behind the stress, is it related to work, organization environment or personal reasons related to family. We have to clarify that stress is a good sign that people worry & care about their jobs (if related to work). Providing support during stress is very beneficial, listening as well and sharing concern is needed.

If you are aware they are stressed - good for you for seeing the signs. Getting to know your people and care about them will set you up for a conversation where you can get 'real' with your team member. How you can support them will largely depend on what is stressing them out, so being genuinely curious about what's going on is a good place to start. If it is personal, ask the employee if there's anything you can do to support them. Don't assume. I can't stress this enough. I've been frustrated with leaders who saw my stress and immediately pussyfooted around me or tried to take away duties to "help". Be aware of the benefits your work place offers so you can direct them - EAP? Message therapy? Pyschotherapy? It's a start.

Getting to know your team and their normal behaviors or quirks is not only about being a good leader but also the initial defense when you first notice signs of stress. Things happen, but if it's becoming a consistent behavior or the behavior showing is potentially dangerous to that team member's health, reacting with empathy and asking what's going on and what's causing the stress can be a stepping stone your team member's needs to say "hey I need a lifeline."

A primeira coisa a se fazer para ajudar um membro de nossa equipe que está lidando com estresse é identificar corretamente os sinais de estresse. Para isso, ou melhor, antes mesmo disso, temos que criar um ambiente confortável. Se o membro da nossa equipe não se sente bem nela, será mais difícil ele se abrir conosco para falar de um problema que o está afetando. Se o ambiente for adequado e propício, podemos oferecer suporte emocional, conversando e incentivando o membro da equipe a buscar ajuda profissional, para isso, não basta apenas dizer, temos que dar condições, como permitir ir ao médico, sair mais cedo ou chegar mais tarde, para que ele possa cuidar de forma apropriada sem aumentar a pressão.

I really like observing people and understanding the reason for a certain behavior. I think people managers have to be closer to their people, be empathetic and really care about them.

The only thing harder than struggling with stress, is struggling alone. Check-in with your people, and listen. Listen without interrupting, offering advice, problem solving, or judgement. Purely allow them to ventilate. Research has found that just feeling like you are being listened to can severely reduce stress levels. Which is partly why talk therapy, counselling, or even being able to speak to a friend or loved one can have such positive effects for coping with stress. As managers, an important role is to be that person for your people. Listening allows people to feel better in the moment. But it will also give you a better understanding of their situation - and what you can do to help after. Listen up!

Early in my career as a people manager, I didn't recognize that being a listening ear, counsellor, confidant is a critical part of the job. Over the years, I have seen first hand how devoting time and effort to being a better listener and making space and time for team members in this way can not only build a better team culture, but also leads to greater business impact.

As people managers, there are several things we can do to help: After recognizing the signs (changes in behavior or productivity, missed deadlines, or frequent absences), we may initiate a private conversation, actively listening, with empathy, without judgement and without giving unsolicited advices. It's better to offer practical support: If the stress is work-related, we could adjust it by offering training resources or encouraging breaks. If it's personal-related, we could offer EAPs or mental health support.

Big tech companies are awash with support and assistance and it is your job as a people manager to make yourself familiar with all of it and to advise your people what's available. Don't just do this when the resources are needed but incorporate it into your regular team conversations and updates - normalize it. In smaller companies or organizations that don't have these luxuries, recognize that the smallest of practical things can go a long way to helping someone. Give them the afternoon off. Offer to split their workload with someone else on the team for a while. Let them know that you are there to help.

Practice having conversations about how people are doing regularly as part of your normal 1:1s and regular conversations. We're all human beings and we perform best when we know we are cared for and supported. It is all too easy in a manager/employee relationships to only talk about "the work". But you have to realize that "the work" is an output and can only happen effectively when the humans are operating well. Take the time to care for people.

• As a people manager, first thing I’d do is — EMPATHIZE. Empathy is crucial for us people managers because it allows us to connect with our team members on a personal level, demonstrating that we value and understand their perspectives. • Demonstrate resilience by openly SHARING MY OWN EXPERIENCES overcoming challenges. • Encourage a growth-oriented approach, emphasizing that SETBACKS ARE OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH. • Lastly and most importantly, foster a culture where it's OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP, promoting a collaborative and adaptable team environment. For me, our primary role as people managers is not to lead, but to support our members. Because the more we support our members individually, the more we win as a team.

Role-modeling is key in people management and how YOU deal with stress will be observed and noted by your team. It isn't just about resilience and adaptability. These are important but so are humility and vulnerability. If your team sees you acknowledging that you are not super-human and doing things to care for your own mental health, they will be much more likley to follow suit.

On top of all this, it is merely important not to stigmatize stressed team member. Cracking under a lot of pressure, resulting in huge stress and possible burnout - it's not weakness and should not be called like that. It's human reaction, call for help - and approach it in that manner - by offering help, support and solutions.

L’un des défis en matière de support des personnes traversant des situations de stress est bien entendu, de faire preuve d’empathie. A vrai dire les situations qui stressent parfois des personnes peuvent nous sembler impertinentes et injustifiées. Cette approche est surtout récurrente chez les leaders / gestionnaires qui croient fortement au potentiel de leurs paires. Mais cela est loin d’aider les personnes. Ce qu’il faut faire dans ce cas est de viser cet état en tant qu’objectif : la personne doit arriver à faire face à nouveau à une situation similaire et garder le calme. Atteindre cet objectif nécessite de la patience.