📰 Introduction
A recent article in La Presse highlights new regulations in Québec aimed at reducing workplace stress.
While these initiatives are commendable, they lack a comprehensive approach to effectively address the issue.
➡️ The rollout of this law may unintentionally increase mental health risks for managers.
📊 Canada: Work-related stress among adults aged 25–54
👉 37.3% of professionals in management roles report challenges in managing their stress.
🔗 Source: Statistics Canada
A stressed manager has even less capacity to support their team’s well-being.
Without realizing it, they may inadvertently contribute to rising stress levels within their teams.
🏢 Real-World Context
Let’s take the example of a small business with 100 employees.
In such a company, economic pressures—sometimes tied to the survival of the business—can create significant stress within the leadership team.
When leadership is under pressure, stress-related challenges increase across the organization:
Employees may feel overwhelmed by tight deadlines, heavy workloads, or strained interpersonal relationships.
Managers, meanwhile, must juggle the expectations of upper management with the needs of their teams.
Now imagine a company with just 3 to 5 people.
When the economy takes a downturn or growth accelerates too quickly, the owner often spends evenings and weekends handling administrative and commercial tasks—with little or no time to care for themselves or others.
🧭 A Holistic Approach
To address these challenges, we need a structured and holistic approach.
This means implementing support programs not only for employees, but also for business owners and managers.
Examples include:
✅ Stress management workshops
✅ Individual and group coaching sessions
✅ Career assessments
✅ Safe spaces for open dialogue
These tools can benefit everyone in the organization.
⚖️ Fairness and Realism
The proposed law is a step in the right direction—but it’s incomplete.
It risks increasing stress for managers and executives in small and medium-sized businesses by adding responsibilities without providing adequate resources.
We must offer realistic and feasible solutions for every type of business.
💡 For example, government subsidies or tax incentives could help companies fund stress evaluation and management programs.
🌱 Individual and Collective Responsibility
The article doesn’t address the elephant in the room:
We don’t all have the same strengths, nor the same needs to thrive at work—and that’s perfectly normal.
No one can flourish in every type of work environment.
Some people thrive in structured organizations, others in unpredictable settings.
Some are built for emergency response 🚒, while others excel in precision, patience, or creative problem-solving.
And for some, human interaction is energizing—while for others, it can be draining.
📈 Stress increases dramatically when we’re placed in environments that don’t align with our natural abilities.
This isn’t a weakness or lack of willpower—it’s a human reality.
🗣️ Personally, even though I’m detail-oriented, I couldn’t work in a stable, repetitive role with constant focus.
I need uncertainty, surprises, and problems to solve. That’s why I thrive in project-based work.
I even turned down a job offer from a large corporation because the role felt too predictable.
It was a gamble, with no guarantees—but it aligned with who I am.
🤝 Shared Responsibility
Managing stress at work is a shared responsibility.
Each individual must learn to understand their limits and comfort zones.
But companies also play a key role: they must create environments that respect the diversity of profiles.
Career check-ins can help identify stress triggers and adjust trajectories.
Collective initiatives—like team-building or open forums—can strengthen cohesion and reduce tension.
👉 Recognizing that we’re all different is the first step toward a more humane, sustainable, and effective workplace.
📬 Call to Action
I invite you to share your own experiences with stress management in the comments 💬.
Subscribe to my blog for regular insights on leadership and well-being at work.
Together, we can build healthier, more productive work environments 💪
✅ Conclusion
A holistic approach is essential to managing workplace stress.
By implementing support programs for all members of the organization, offering realistic solutions, and sharing responsibility, we can create work environments that are healthier, more human, and more fulfilling 🌟
📖 Featured Blog Articles
🛠️ Three simple actions to reduce stress within your team
Plan a twice‑yearly organizational stress review
Review workloads, adjust priorities, and compare each employee’s performance and well‑being.
Block a weekly 30‑minute breathing space for each manager
Identify the elements creating tension and take action on at least one of them to reduce stress.
Create support roles
Similar to first‑aid responders, establish stress‑support responders: trained listeners who can offer a safe space and, when needed, request help outside the hierarchical chain
👉 These three simple actions strengthen your leadership posture and unlock your potential.