Being a case manager is stressful work. The hours are long. The caseloads are heavy. Budgets are tight. And you are often dealing with people facing some of the worst moments of their lives. We have discussed in previous posts different ways that social workers can achieve case manager stress relief. In this post we look at some organizational tactics to reduce stress for your case managers.
One way to create case manager stress relief is to create a healthy work environment. Finding ways to promote exercise and healthy living at work are two ways to make your case managers feel better overall – which leads to feeling less stress.
Another way for your organization to promote workplace wellness is to provide healthy snacks or lunch breaks. This could be accomplished by keeping a fruit bowl stocked in the break room or loading up the refrigerator with yogurt and healthy drinks. You can take this to a higher level and bring in a chef once a month to provide a tasty but healthy alternative for lunch.
There are changes you can make both physically and psychologically to the working environment to reduce stress for your case managers. Simple things like better coffee, brighter natural lighting, happy, bright paint colors, the configuration of desks or cubes all can create a happier workplace.
Creating stress relief psychologically within your workplace is mostly a matter of being flexible. Social workers put in a lot of hours and sometimes need to work outside of the office. Giving them the opportunity to work flexible hours and remotely can remove some of the stress from their daily lives. Of course, to work remotely you need to have a secure system that allows them to log into their case management software on their laptop or mobile device. As long as you have a secure system that’s HIPAA compliant, like the ones we provide, this should be easy and seamless.
Even if you don’t provide counseling, creating a time every week or even once a month for case managers to get together and talk over what they’re going through could provide some stress relief. It doesn’t have to be a physical coming together either. You can create a private group online for them to chat and share their stories and stressors, helping each other with suggestions of what has worked for them.
These are just a few ways your organization can provide some case manager stress relief for your workers. Feel free to share what has worked in your workplace. We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or drop us a line. We’ll be happy to share the tips we get in a future post.
Recommend Readings:
10 Tips for Quick Case Manager Stress Relief (Infographic)
4 Time Management Tips for Social Workers
4 Ways to Become a Stronger Advocate for Your Health
Need Case Manager Stress Relief? Do These 4 Things Daily
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in December 2021 and has been updated with additional information and content.