Stress Management

In today’s environment, your employees face greater stress and anxiety on a daily basis. That puts them at higher risk for stress-related physical and mental health problems — and raises the potential for burnout at work. You can help them better manage their stress by putting the right tools at their fingertips. We can help.

Learn more about mental health and addiction medicine at Kaiser Permanente.

With the Finding Balance stress management toolkit, you get resources to help you assess your organization’s needs, plan a strategy, engage your employees, and measure your program’s success. The full interactive toolkit is available for download below.

Please note: Due to the pandemic, some of the tips and tools provided in this kit may not align with CDC-recommended safety guidelines for COVID-19 prevention. For additional information, please visit cdc.gov.
 

Get leadership support and identify opportunities for healthy changes

Before you start a workforce health program like Finding Balance, present a business case to your leadership team on the benefits of healthy activities and encourage them to show their commitment to workforce wellness. Then gather baseline organizational data with surveys to gauge your employees’ interest in healthy lifestyle activities.

Also consider how your work environment supports living a healthy lifestyle. Think about the food in your vending machines, the walkability of your workspace, and whether you’re hosting healthy meetings.

Tips

• Host a workforce health kickoff event and invite one of your top leaders to speak.
• Working with an Employee Assistance Program vendor? Loop them in now while you’re gathering information so they can help make your workforce health program a success.

With employee feedback, you can plan your workforce health strategy and create a wellness committee to manage your program. Select a committee leader or your wellness coordinator to send out a promotional email introducing the Finding Balance program. Be sure to include:

• The program start date
• Details on the kickoff, if you’re having one

After you’ve sent the email, print and post promotional flyers, employee guides, and other materials (see below) in kitchen and break rooms to increase awareness.
 

Tools and resources

• Finding Balance promotional materials in English:
  • Promotional email – English (PDF)
  • Promotional poster – English (PDF)
  • Promotional flyer – English (PDF)
• Finding Balance promotional materials in Spanish:
  • Promotional email – Spanish (PDF)
  • Promotional poster – Spanish (PDF)
  • Promotional flyer – Spanish (PDF)
• Employee guide
  • Employee guide - English (PDF)
  • Employee guide - Spanish (PDF)
• Additional engagement: Fight stress with healthy habits

Roll out the Finding Balance program

Below you’ll find weekly guidance on what to send to your employees — so they stay informed and engaged throughout your program.

• Week 1: Send “Getting started” email.
  Help employees rate their overall stress level and identify sources of stress.
  Download week 1 email – English (PDF)
  Download week 1 email – Spanish (PDF)
• Week 2: Send “Your stress journal” email.
  Help employees spot patterns and identify stress-related behaviors they want to change.
  Download week 2 email – English (PDF)
  Download week 2 email – Spanish (PDF)
• Week 3: Send “Making an action plan” email.
  Have employees set a stress management goal.
  Download week 3 email – English (PDF)
  Download week 3 email – Spanish (PDF)
• Week 4: Send “Relaxation and stress” email.
  Introduce employees to relaxation techniques that can help them manage stress.
  Download week 4 email – English (PDF)
  Download week 4 email – Spanish (PDF)
• Week 5: Send “Money and stress” email.
  Help employees see where they can spend less and save more to reduce financial stress.
  Download week 5 email – English (PDF)
  Download week 5 email – Spanish (PDF)
• Week 6: Send “Nutrition and stress” email.
  Help inspire employees to discover the connection between what they eat and how they feel.
  Download week 6 email – English (PDF)
  Download week 6 email – Spanish (PDF)
• Week 7: Send “Exercise and stress” email.
  Highlight exercise as an effective strategy for coping with stress.
  Download week 7 email – English (PDF)
  Download week 7 email – Spanish (PDF)
• Week 8: Send “Rate your progress” email.
  Ask employees to evaluate their progress and look back on what they learned from the program.
  Download week 8 email – English (PDF)
  Download week 8 email – Spanish (PDF)

Tools and resources

Stress management workbook with surveys and quizzes, stress journal, stress action plan, and weekly activities:

• Stress management workbook - English (PDF)
• Stress management workbook - Spanish (PDF)

Tip

• If you work with an Employee Assistance Program vendor, refer employees to them for additional support after they’ve completed the program.

Once you’ve finished the Finding Balance program, you can evaluate its success by surveying the employees who participated and recording progress, participation, and interest. These results can help you improve and plan for future programs — like a healthy lifestyle or sleep management program — while employees are still motivated. You might also consider sharing participation numbers, health wins, and other positive outcomes with your employees.

Get started with the Finding Balance stress management toolkit