5 TIPS FOR TALKING TO YOUR BOSS ABOUT STRESS

Stress happens to us all, but especially in a professional environment, we like to pretend that we’re completely fine.

Showing any sign of not being capable can be scary and the last thing you might want to do is speak to your boss about it.

But stress leads to a lack of productivity, strained relationships, and burnout. Stress can become obvious without even speaking about it, so speaking to your boss about it before it gets any worse can ensure you:

• Keep performing to the best of your ability 

• Stay positive

• Are enjoying your work

Find the source of stress

This isn’t just crucial for how you approach the conversation with your boss, but also for how you begin to identify the problems for yourself.

When we’re stressed suddenly everything feels overwhelming and it can be hard to pinpoint the root of what is causing it. Some potential reasons could be:

• Unable to manage workload

• Pressure to succeed

• Lack of communication

• Not fully understanding your role and responsibilities

• Problems with relationships at work

Once you’ve identified the specific reason or reasons, you can approach your boss with good awareness, whilst being able to – where you can – start taking initiative to solve these problems.

Let’s say lack of communication is something that is causing you stress because you often feel confused or out of the loop. You can begin to follow up on conversations with in-depth questions or even schedule meetings to discuss it further. 

Of course, it’s still important to talk to your manager about what’s going on but take action where you can show them you’re being proactive.

Book a meeting

This can sound daunting and lots of employees avoid addressing their concerns because the thought of scheduling an official meeting makes it sound far too serious. 

Going for a coffee, grabbing lunch, or even going for a walk to bring up the matter is ideal, especially if you have a good relationship with your manager. But even if you do have to ‘schedule a meeting’, just ask if they have time for a catchup because that feels more informal.

But regardless, booking a meeting can ensure you speak at the right time and the right place. 

Keep it concise and practical

Your feelings are valid, and you should be able to discuss them freely, but it’s important to remember the environment you’re in. It can be easy to begin talking about all your worries, both professional and personal, but keeping the conversation structured in a way where you can get to the practical solutions will allow your manager to truly help you.

Good managers want to know you’re okay, they want your mental health to flourish, but they can only truly support you in the workplace.

This isn’t to say you can’t be honest with what feelings or issues you’re going through, especially if you feel comfortable, but you want the main part of the conversation to be about how your manager can support you, and what changes you can make to ensure work is a positive experience.

Be honest but be professional

If your source of stress comes from problems you have with management or co-workers, you may want to offload all your frustration but similar to the last point, remember the environment you’re in. 

Even if you have a strong bond with this particular manager, you don’t want to come across as unprofessional, negative, or gossipy. Approach the conversation with solid facts about what’s happening and how it’s impacted your ability to work.

Come up with a plan 

This may be something you want to think about ahead of your meeting, so you can write down points, but ask your manager how you can both work together to help you cope with stress.

This may feel awkward because why should your boss help you with your stress? Because you’re their responsibility and as we know, stress leads to a lack of productivity, strained relationships, and turnover. Your manager should want to support you through this time and implement steps to help you cope.

- Written by Tim Macmillan

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