35 Amazing Hacks For Stress-Free Work: A Six Sigma Way in 2024 [Updated]

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The whole world is currently facing an unprecedented threat from the Covid-19 pandemic. It is not only a major health crisis but the global threat has also created a major economic slowdown/recession in all countries.

Coupled with a crippling economy, Work Culture is put to test, causing significant anxiety among the working professionals.

There is a loss of jobs, pay-cuts, appraisals getting delayed and employees are left with uncertainty and anxious future. These manifold emotional challenges and break-down of work-life balance.

Covid-19 has unlocked undue stress and anxiety

Every organization will face downsizing at some point over next 12 months.

The current crisis has brought a high level of anxiety which is an added stress with the normal work-related pressure that employees face in an organization.

The causes of Stress, the silent killer during Covid-19: 

• Retrenchment
• Restructuring salaries, perks, benefits, increments
• Knocking off bonuses
• The physical distinction between home and office place is being overlapped
• Loss of confidence, irritation, anger
• Social withdrawal system, mood swings
• hypertension, anxiety, asthma
• Diabetics, suppression of the immune system
• Causing severe depression and anxiety
• Experiencing fatigue during the day because of insomnia
• Trouble in concentration because of various distractions
• Turning to alcohol or medication as a coping mechanism
• The rising expectation of the employer with uncertainty of regular perks is also demotivating the employees.

Employers are also staring at-

• business disruption
• Drop in revenue
• Eroding bottom-line (profit)

To change is Humane

The best trait that humans have is the ability to adapt and to survive in any kind of situation. This crisis also may disrupt life pattern but will not let us completely drained.

The present scenario needs to recognize new challenges and encourage professionals to embrace changes, taking initiatives, doing things differently but with efficiency. This can ease the transition and drive productivity.

As the crisis management strategies have become critical to support social distancing – several millions of workers from diverse sectors are taking.

• Self-quarantine
• Work from home imperative.

The new work environment is facing new challenges every day as remote working has become the norm of the day.

The challenges of Working from Home

• Technical issues like adaptability to new Communication / Video conferencing technology, low internet bandwidth, hardware mall function etc
• Training need
• Work Discipline (Steep Weekly goal, Distraction like kids, pets)
• Scarcity of a quiet place at home to set up an office environment
• Employees are struggling to adapt to a digital platform and to acquire new skills which are now needed for the hour.

The irony lies in the fact that no one is certain about till how long this impact of the pandemic will last on the global economy.

However, under any perplexing situation, Balance is the key to life. We need to balance all aspects of your life – Family & Work for our stability of mental health. This will make us Stress-free. We need to be assertive and adjust our attitude to achieve this.

What is work-life balance?

A Work-Life balance is all about separating Professional and Personal aspects of one’s life without allowing one to have a negative effect on the other. Remember, both are important. So, neither of them should be neglected.

Often, we face a conflict between the demands from these two commitments resulting in increased stress. This conflict results in -Low productivity

Burn out employees

Stress-related health problems

Low work efficiency

Reduced job satisfaction

Poor co-worker relationships

So, imbalance in either front sucks the employees and both the Family and the Job front (Employer) have to face the negative impact. The impact is then either-way. Particularly, at this time of the Covid-19 crisis, achieving a work-life balance can be a huge challenge. As you are the one who can only create your model of balancing as you are at the pivot point of it.

When it comes to work-life balance, just saying the word and walking the path are very different things. Too often, it becomes an empty promise, if you can’t control the pivot. A crisis like this corona out-breaks can threaten the stability of work place as well as work life balance. This induces stress in our lives happening almost overnight.

However, a well-planned and efficient implementation of Work-life Balance strategy is equally rewarding for both the employees and the employers as this enhances:

• Increase individual efficiency
• Enhances team productivity
• Improve retention
• Improve engagement
• Improve Employee morale and health
• Increase company image

At this situation of covid-19 outbreak, organizations can depend on Six Sigma methodologies for the crisis management solutions, to improve their profitability and to create a stress-free environment.

What is Six Sigma?

Six-sigma is a statistics-based methodology that uses specific tools to eliminate defects from business processes or organizations by making it more efficient or effective.

• Six sigma techniques can be applied as a tool to create work-life balance, and to establish a stress-free work environment.
• It ensures Improved team work (every employee should co-ordinate to work towards the common goal/target set by the employer) although they are physically apart, working from their home
• Manages time better
• Improves motivation
• Eliminates waste in finance
• Optimizes your professional and personal relationship giving a work-life balance

DMAIC template is used to improve the existing method of an organization particularly under covid-19 situation, when it requires a totally new culture. Under its process we have the following steps for all-round improvement for the organization.

1. Define the problem and end objective
2. Measure current levels of performance to determine how much catching up one need to do.
3. Analyze the current process to determine what modification it needs
4. Improve process performance, eliminating root causes of variance
5. Control and maintaining an improved process on long term basis

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The 5S Concept

The ‘5 S method’ – a popular Six Sigma tools (under Analyze of DMAIC model) can be adopted to manage the crisis, which can be proposed likewise;

1. Sort: Eliminate everything other than job-required items on your desk as it is a remote platform.
2. Set in order: Things require on job-front should be placed within reach and can be controlled by visual management.
3. Shine: The work area should be neat and tidy
4. Standardize: After setting everything in order the desired work standards, it should be maintained and followed persistently within deadline ensuring quality and progress
5. Sustain: The commitment to Standard should be sustained to guarantee sustainability of the result expected by the organization.

So, it is basically a quality improvement techniques that can ensure a stable work-life balance.

Six-Sigma can operate at three different levels at this covid-19 crisis hour

• as a metric
• as a methodology
• as a management system.

However, the use of these tools solely depends what the organization wants to adhere to support their business. Appropriate implementation of Six-Sigma is icing on a Cake as it derives equal benefit for both Employees and Employers

Benefit for the Employees	Benefit for the employers
1. Increase commitment and motivation	1. Build your brand reputation
2. Enhance Health (physical and mental)	2. Encourage positive work environment
3. Maximize productivity	3. Get the best from your team
4. Becoming more focused and loyal	4. Improve employee retention
5. Personal development	5. Employee engagement
6. Improve Time management	6. Driving more sales and increase in revenue

At this situation of Covid-19, using remote work platform, Six Sigma training can spark a surge in innovation both for the employers and the employee.

Both of their roles are defined keeping in mind to ensure stress-free work maintaining work life balance.

‘Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life’

35 Hacks For Stress-Free Work Environment

Action to be taken on the part of Employer

#1. Give your employees freedom of voice To boost work place satisfaction, creating trust between employee and management (particularly at the situation of covid-19). It is necessary to hear and value the employee. This can give more stability on the work-life balance of both.

#2. Employers need to learn to be tolerant The present pandemic situation under Covid-19 is not in any body’s hand. So, the employees are already under much pressure for the uncertainty of their future. So building tolerance and learning to accept can eliminate pressures or stress in the work ambience. This can lead to work-life balance for both.

#3. Employer should also clarify job expectations, the parameters; and communicate deadline to the employees to avoid any confusion. The employer should remain clam so that you can become a role model for the employees.

#4. The deadlines given to the employees should be realistic. In this tough situation when the whole world is fighting covid-19, the work load should be suitable employee’s capability and resources.

#5. Communicate with the employees on one-on-one basis may result in better output. Face to face listening is always the best option to be heard and understood. Particularly, at the situation like covid-19, in this remote working culture this will help to create stress-free work on both sides.

#6. Employers should deal with work place conflict in positive way. As this remote working is new to many of the employees, they should be given time to get them adjusted. So, do not hurrahs and maintain the dignity.

#7. It is desired on the employer’s part to clarify employee’s role, responsibility and goal keeping in head the organizational values.

#8. The new working culture may need imparting training of the employees to focus on keep performance areas. For this purpose, employers can collaborate with software companies like Microsoft, TCS-Ion, Ed-fly and many more to train their employees.

#9. Take it with a pinch of salt – if you will; but leading organizations are prioritizing physical, physiological and emotional wellness and employees safety before the profit of business. The pandemic has disrupted life, economy but not the human-spirit.

#10. Preserve Human Capital: Nearly two dozens of corporate employer like TCS, Flip-kart, Axis bank, Bank of Baroda, KPMG, Deloitte, Siemens, Wipro, Microsoft, ITC, Tata Steel, Accenture etc. said preserving of human capital is the most crucial task at this crisis.

#11. Uplift the morale: At this covid-19 situation the employers should be more kind and understanding on employee’s wellness. There are employers like HSBC etc. who are creating happiness programmes comedy, music, online meditation and fitness sessions to remain connected to their employees and also to uplift their morale.

#12. Arrange medical help: Many of the employer have also arranged for ‘Doctor on Call’ and Psychological counseling sessions and opened helplines.

#13. Welcome new ideas: At this unknown situation, employers should also take ideas from the employees / workers and make them involved in decision making. They will be more committed.

#14. Organizations / Employers should also change their strategies / business domain looking at present market scenario such that they can meet customer’s need of the hour with their available human resource skills and infrastructure. Accordingly, we have seen that companies like Mahindra and Mahindra has diversified to making low-cost ventilators to source revenue.

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Action on the part of Employee

#15. Working remotely from home due to covid-19 outbreak is challenging. But with cloud technology, and project management applications, it is possible to synchronize. So the work can be seamless with the following tools and techniques to ensure best productivity:

#16. Plan your week: Tools like Trello, Evernote, ASANA, Proof Hub, Co-Schedule, and Google Sheet are collaboration app to help you plan, manage, organize, execute and deliver task quickly. Other Task management softwares like Monday.com, wrike keep a track on daily activity. Paralley, make a habit to plan your weeks in your own calendar. Added:

#17. Maintain a work life balance: Between socializing, parenting and working Covid-19 has significantly altered the way of our life. The transition is complicated and we have to better maintain the remote work setting to create better work life balance.

#18. Employees need to create a dedicated space for work at home. One may miss his own cubicle or private space as in the office. So it is necessary to claim a portion in one’s room to have a definite work area being set-up for office use, so that he can create healthy boundaries between home and office.

#19. Get your necessary items ready: Items like laptop, note book, printer, charger, calendar, water bottle and other necessary tools should be ready to reach out for efficient remote working.

#20. Some basic requirements: Appropriate Dress, Decent chair, correct desk, enough light is the minimum requirement – We need to keep in mind that we are in our virtual work place and not at home while doing WFH.

#21. Clean and Organised work place: Actually a clean and organized work place promotes stress-free work environment which boosts employee morale and lead to more productivity as one can focus more on his work.

#22. Establish a routine : routines and schedules can be beneficial to control your productivity during the work day. The schedule can enjoy some flexibility but overall a fixed working calendar with proper time specification should be kept.

#23. Communicate your needs : when you cannot meet your co-workers, an emotional voids and insecurity can hamper your work. Proactive communication can help prevent frustration and work related complications down the road.

#24. Over communication is essential, especially at a time of social distancing and isolation – this avoids any kind of confusion in this situation.

#25. Establish transition times : for people working remotely, transition times are little blurred which means the work-life balance can be damaged. To have stress free work, you can take brief walk around morning and evening and create boundaries between work time and home time.

#26. Taking regular breaks – in an office, normally we chat with co-worker or refill our coffee, or have lunch meetings. At home we can indulge in these small breaks with family or chatting with co-workers through telecommunication / web communication.

#27. Manage your expectation: remote work setting can give a chance for employees to stretch their expectations of giving maximum productivity to their work. However, it should be within practical boundary, a goal which is manageable and practical. So, new working environment an capability should go hand in hand to have a smooth transition.

#28. Be kind to yourself: Self-care and me-time is also important be it at home or at office. To keep the mental health intact, cheering up our moods is very much therapeutic. The happier the employees are; greater are the job satisfaction. Profit and productivity are more.

#29. Add personal touches : Integrating plant in the work environment has proved to reduce stress, lowers blood pressure, noise levels, humidity, increase positive feelings.

#30. Maintain physical and mental health: To maintain physical and mental health, Meditation, Yoga, Relaxation, Exercise, stretching occasionally listening to soft music are great breathers to maintain stress free work environment.

#31. Eat healthy and nutritious food high in fibre like fruit and lot of veggies and lean proteins, complex carbs like whole wheat bread, sprout, dark chocolate, blue berries, contain mood boosting anti-oxidants to be health and stress-free at work.

#32. Avoid junk food: Food high in fat, refined cards or sugar, nicotine should be avoided. They lead to lathery, boosting anxiety and creating stress in body and mind. This can hamper work life balance.

#33. Sleep enough: You should have enough sleep (at least 8 hours a night) to cope with even normal amount of stress and be always ready with a fresh jerk.

#34. Priorities and organize: the best way to maintain stress-free work and proper work life balance is to track daily activities against clearly set objectives. Every task should be arranged keeping in mind the deadlines and so arranging by priority.

#35. Seek help from friends and family: You can lean on your family and friends and can be more social with your co-workers acting as a buffer for your covid 19 related stress.

#36. Implement continuous improvement methodologies: Human being is natural problem solvers but now the situation demands that we have to imbibe the role of continuous improvement professionals.

Making Integration – The New Normal

Change is like an iceberg.

Work life balance can be created more by integration rather than seeing work and life as two entities. Creating a synergy where our professional and personal role positively serve as a resource for each other.

For all working professionals, who imbibe this transition are the ‘fittest to survive’ without stress-free work creating a proper work-life balance.

Unlock 1.0

Now the shift is from Lockdown to Unlock 1 – from Self quarantine to Self Protection in Work Exposure. It is the newest proposal of our honourable Prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi to revive economy, on the point of complete break-down.

Graded lift off from lock-down in all sectors has started. So, we with our nation must think, act out of the box tapping on possible resources. From remote work we are to come back to normal schedule carefully but in staggered manner.

At this point, the main stressor is the virus itself, getting affected by its crown. So, now the main challenge to maintain the Stress-free work environment will be

Safety Comes First

Things we should avoid:

• Unnecessarily touching nose, eyes and mouth
• Face to face interaction
• Hand-shake or hug
• Avoid public transport as far as possible
• Avoid rush hour and crowed areas

Ultimately it is our mindset that creates stress. Our outlook to see life determines our ability to cope with everyday stressors.

Do you know that stress can also be good?

EU-stress is the positive one that can create a healthy target in life and in no-way hamper work-life balance. It is only to boost you up to work efficiently and give your best. It can help to stay focused, energetic, and to meet challenges in the workplace.

Mostly we are attacked by De-stress, the negative one that hampers our control over work-life balance. To stay away from this we should remember

• Stay positive
• Resist perfectionism
• Do not fear failures, learn from them; they are opportunities for your growth and not defining you
• Focus on what you can control. The best way to combat stress is to focus on things that we can control – our effort, our attitude, how we should behave- rather than the outcomes that is not in our hand.

Just let it be! That is the secret the handle the mind. If you try to get rid of the mind, it becomes a monster, if you just let the mind be, it will vanish – Sri Sri Raviskankar

So in this Unlock 1.0 we should move forward full of positivity in mind to defeat the chain of Corona, win the situation with stress-free work and integrating life and livelihood in proper balance. In this win-win situation Six Sigma can be our proper weapon as it is flexible and evolve continuously with the changing measures of situation. 

Stress spelled backwards is dessert – Loretta Laroche

So, your desert lies in your hand to make.

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