One of the reasons that failing to prioritise active rest damages performance is allostatic load. Allostatic load is the physical damage done to your body over time when you live in a chronic state of heightened stress. It is caused by an accumulation of physical stress responses (including the release of cortisol) that are helpful in the short-term, but toxic in the long-term. Chronic cortisol directly damages your immune system, your digestive system and your cardiovascular health.
Allostatic load accumulates quietly. And by the time it’s visible, it’s already cost you energy, focus, and health. Not to mention the associated commercial losses:
‼️ Reduced cognitive bandwidth leads to a drop in productivity and an increase in errors;
‼️ Staff are less engaged with change initiatives (in a climate where change is the new normal) because they are already at capacity and feeling overwhelmed;
‼️ Increased sick days, presenteeism and staff turnover are costing UK businesses billions per year (Deloitte, 2024);
‼️ Decreased client satisfaction results in reputational damage and lost revenue;
‼️ Increased irritability leads to increased conflict within teams and more HR time spent on grievances and mediation; and
‼️ Escalating costs associated with sick pay and reactive mental health support (e.g. access to counselling once someone is already in crisis).
The great news is that you can act now to protect your staff’s wellbeing and your commercial performance. Here is roadmap for getting ahead of the issue and taking preventative measures:
✅ Knowledge is power. Your staff and managers need to understand their physiology and their stress response, so they are empowered to self-regulate more effectively. This can be done through training and workshops.
✅ Offer neuroscience-backed tools and strategies to sustainably increase resilience.
✅ Upskill leaders to create working environments that are high in psychological safety. One of the biggest contributors to our stress response in the workplace is an atmosphere of high interpersonal threat, causing individuals to disengage and withdraw due to fear of being shamed or ridiculed if they raise a concern.
✅ Embed the culture of sustainable performance throughout the organisation. Staff feel valued and supported in the long-term, reducing staff turnover and increasing talent retention.
Empresa Psychology delivers training that upskills team members to understand and harness their stress response, so that they can thrive in high-pressure situations. We teach tools and strategies backed by evidence from psychology and neuroscience, so that staff are empowered to build their resilience and reduce their risk of burnout.
We also train leaders to cultivate Psychological Safety so that team effectiveness is optimised, while leader wellbeing is supported. When staff feel psychologically safe, their brains are able to function at peak levels, enhancing creativity, engagement and performance. Leaders who embody this skillset understand how to hold staff accountable while cultivating a supportive environment.
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