The phrase, ‘If there’s anything, just let me know,’ may come from good intentions, but the effect of such an ‘open door policy’ can unfortunately be counterproductive.

As a leader, you end up only talking to your employees when something isn’t going (or hasn’t gone) well in time.

And often, things have been going wrong for a while before someone gathers the courage to admit that the workload is too much… 🫣

The result? People freeze up, start doubting themselves, and in the worst case, fall into a vicious cycle.

What doesn’t help, but often feels like a natural reflex, is taking over tasks and responsibilities from your employee.

‘Just throw it on my plate!’ Again, this comes from good intentions, but more often than not, it makes the person feel even worse. ❌ Your intervention as a leader can feel like a judgment on their abilities.

What’s better to do instead? Map out the workload together by discussing the causes and possible solutions. 🤝

Put people back in the driver’s seat because regaining control over challenging situations actually gives energy. Reducing tasks alone isn’t always the solution for handling work pressure.

As you can see, managing and discussing work pressure and stress in the right way is a delicate matter. But don’t let that be a reason to avoid these (admittedly tough) conversations.

We’ll talk about it more in the training! See you then.