Manager’s Guide: Recognize and Reduce Team Stress and Anxiety at Work
Nov 6
4 min read
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Manager’s Guide: Recognize and Reducing Team Stress and Anxiety at Work
What Does Anxiety at Work Look Like (and What Managers Often Miss)
Manager’s Guide: Recognize and Reduce Team Stress and Anxiety at Work
One of a leader’s key tasks is to keep the team atmosphere, which is a part of team culture, healthy. Dealing with the team members’ levels of anxiety and stress at work is an essential part of this process.
As a mental-health issue, anxiety is well-explored – there’s plenty of information online about managing clinically diagnosed anxiety. But there’s also such a thing as everyday anxiety — the kind triggered by the regular challenges we face. And one of the biggest sources of it is, of course, work, since we spend about 30% of our waking life working.
What Does Anxiety at Work Look Like (and What Managers Often Miss)
You notice your best performer has been quieter lately. Deadlines are still met, but their messages are shorter, colder and more formal. It’s easy to assume they’re just tired.
Most employees will never say directly, “I feel anxious because of my tasks.” They’ll come to you when it’s too late — when anxiety has already turned into exhaustion.
In most cases, stress is inevitable, but the mark of an effective manager is knowing how to distinguish healthy challenge from harmful pressure. If you observe the behavioural patterns below, there’s a high chance the person is anxious due to workload.
How Anxiety Impacts Your Team
When a team member feels anxious, it doesn’t just affect their own performance – it quietly reshapes how the whole team operates:
Communication: They withdraw, over-explain or become defensive.
Productivity: Both the quantity and the quality of work drop.
Focus: Attention scatters and small details get missed.
Team relationships: Tension builds, mistakes escalate, empathy fades.
How Managers Can Recognise Stress and Anxiety Early
Great managers are observant. They don’t wait for one-on-ones to sense something is wrong. They notice in their team member’s tone, behaviour, emails and involvement.
Watch for:
Open or passive aggression – even once is enough to check in.
A drop in productivity or enthusiasm.
Resistance to something new or previously straightforward.
Difficulty focusing in meetings or during calls.
When you see one of these, pause and ask: “Hey, are you okay?”
Even if it turns out to be a personal matter, your support still matters. Sometimes support is the intervention.
I’ve learned that when someone on the team feels constant tension, it’s rarely about them — it’s usually about how we’ve structured the work around them.
What People Say When They’re Anxious
Anxiety rarely announces itself as “I’m anxious.” It hides behind everyday phrases that reveal deeper issues in your system.
Each phrase is a clue — and every clue gives you an opportunity to act before burnout sets in.
What they say | What it really means |
“I don’t know where to start.” | Priorities aren’t clear. |
“I’m afraid I won’t meet expectations.” | Expectations were not communicated properly. |
“I’m scared to make a mistake.” | Low trust; a blaming culture might be there. |
“I feel constant tension.” | No breathing room; workflow never pauses. |
“I can’t see the end of these tasks.” | The workload is too heavy or poorly structured. |
“I feel constant pressure.” | A mix of all the above and a lack of open dialogue. |
Example:
When a developer told me “I have so many tasks and I’m lost where should I start”, I realised the issue wasn’t their performance. It was our sprint priorities that were unclear.
How to Reduce Stress at Work: Practical Steps for Managers
Once you recognise the signals, the next step is to address the root causes calmly and structurally.
Have an open conversation
Ask what’s creating the tension.
Listen without rushing to a solution.
Sometimes people simply need to unpack the pressure before they can move forward. Recent research shows that strong team support and company-wide wellbeing policies significantly reduce the risk of personal burnout when stress is high.
Analyse the workload
Is workload distributed fairly?
Are priorities realistic and clearly defined?
Does the person have full context and resources to do their work?
Often, anxiety isn’t just emotional – it’s structural.
Rebuild how you collaborate
Set up regular syncs – not only for tasks but also for personal check-ins.
Update priorities weekly, even if it’s a brief update.
When multiple tasks overlap, divide the week into focus blocks.
Break large goals into smaller, clear milestones with well-defined success criteria.
Make sure you don't act as a micromanager.
This gives the person clarity, pace, rhythm – the opposite of anxiety.
Give feedback – both constructive and emotional
Feedback isn’t just about tasks. Make it about the person: what you noticed, what you appreciate, what you believe.
Be genuine. Authenticity builds safety. Employees who feel safe learn faster, bounce back sooner, and perform better.
Final Thoughts
Workplace anxiety rarely starts with one bad day. It grows quietly from unclear expectations, too many simultaneous tasks and the absence of a safe environment.
Your role as a manager isn’t to eliminate all stress — it’s to create a culture where people feel safe to speak about it.
Because when anxiety is shared, it becomes manageable. When it’s hidden, it slowly becomes burnout.
Nov 6
4 min read
3
18
0
