How to Manage Staff Stress During High-Pressure Event Seasons

Did you know that 79% of event professionals say their jobs are more stressful today than they were before the pandemic? In an industry where stress is already common, it’s easy to see how much more intense things can get during high-pressure event seasons. This is why knowing how to manage staff stress is absolutely essential.

In this article, discover 8 actionable strategies that will help you manage staff stress and keep your team focused, energized, and ready to deliver during a high-pressure event season.

How to Manage Staff Stress During High-Pressure Event Seasons

High-pressure event seasons are times when your team faces back-to-back events, tight deadlines, and constant demands. Every event team has its own busy periods. For example, if you plan weddings, your busiest months are usually spring and summer, whereas if you plan corporate events, peak times may be at the end of the fiscal year.

If you are looking for ways to manage staff stress during high-pressure events, this list fits the bill. Keep reading to learn actionable tips you can use. 

1. Set Realistic Expectations and Clear Roles

When everything is moving at full speed in your event, it’s easy for tasks to get mixed up, responsibilities to overlap, and confusion to build. Naturally, this can lead to frustration, mistakes, and stress, but don’t worry just yet, there’s a fix, and that’s by setting clear expectations and defining each team member’s role and responsibility during recruitment and confirming everyone understands their tasks before the event begins. To further ensure that everyone stays on track and nothing falls through the cracks, you can provide task checklists with specific deadlines and check in regularly to adjust workloads as needed. By doing these, you can feel confident that everyone knows exactly what to do and prevent overwhelming your staff.

2. Encourage Regular Breaks

Don’t underestimate the power of regular breaks to lower your team’s stress during your action-packed events. According to a report, breaks keep energy levels steady, prevent burnout, and help staff stay sharp throughout long, high-pressure days. They also reduce the need for long recovery periods once the event is over. Simple actions to make sure your vent team takes their much-needed breaks include: scheduling short breaks between shifts, reminding staff to get some fresh air, providing a quiet spot to rest, or rotating tasks so everyone gets a little downtime.

3. Promote Open Communication

Remember this: stress grows in silence. That’s why it’s essential that you and your staff can always speak up and discuss matters without fear. This open communication alleviates team stress by reducing uncertainty, building trust, encouraging problem-solving, and promoting collaboration. 

Share updates often and check in with your team during the day. Give your staff a chance to respond and voice their concerns. In addition, use communication platforms that your team can easily use, such as walkie-talkies or messaging apps.

4. Provide Practical Resources 

High-pressure events can feel like going to battle, and your staff shouldn’t have to face them unarmed. Providing practical resources is key. Give your event team resources like scheduling tools, detailed task checklists, and step-by-step guides as early as possible so they have time to review and prepare. If there are any questions from your staff, make sure to answer them promptly. Take note that your presence is also a practical resource.

5. Recognize Effort and Celebrate Wins

In case you haven’t heard, one of the biggest contributors to work-related stress nowadays is the lack of acknowledgment and appreciation. As such, it has now become more crucial than ever to celebrate the effort and success of staff, especially during adrenaline-packed tasks. Thank your event staff by name during meetings or post shout-outs in your team chat. For larger achievements, consider bigger rewards as well, like snacks, extra breaks, or even incentives. 

6. Monitor Workloads and Redistribute Tasks When Needed

A study highlights that workload plays a key role in driving or reducing work-related stress. Unlike other jobs, event work can be unpredictable, and so can the workload. For example, staff managing registration or check-in may need to take on extra tasks when more attendees arrive. You may not be able to go back and perfectly plan every task, but you can watch workloads and adjust as needed. Check in with your team throughout the day and use task boards or apps to see who needs support. This way, your staff stays balanced, supported, and ready for anything.

7. Build a Supportive Team Culture

In a supportive team culture, every member knows they are not facing hurdles alone. This knowledge is not just for record; it works real wonders, reducing stress and anxiety and encouraging healthy collaboration.

To foster a supportive team culture within your event team, encourage open communication and regular check-ins, and celebrate small wins while recognizing individual contributions. In addition, look into rotating responsibilities to prevent burnout and create opportunities for teamwork and peer support.

Build a stronger, healthier team culture with these proven tips.

8. Gather Feedback and Create a Long-Term Stress Management Plan

Managing stress in the workplace looks different for every team. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, which is why your approach needs to be built around the people doing the work. To do that, you need regular, honest feedback to ensure your stress management plan is based on real experiences, not assumptions.

After every event, conduct short check-ins or use anonymous surveys to ask your team about workload, communication, or other pressure points. Collect their feedback, analyze it, and note special patterns, such as recurring tasks that cause stress or communication gaps. Use these patterns to create a long-term stress management plan, including adjusted schedules, better task distribution, and clear communication strategies for future events.

Want better insights from your events? Learn how to create a feedback survey that works in this post.

Keep Your Cool During High-Pressure Event Seasons With StaffConnect

Knowing how to manage stress among your staff is not enough. You need a tool to prevent it. StaffConnect is built for exactly that.

Designed specifically for event management, StaffConnect handles the tasks that often create stress for your team. From onboarding and shift scheduling to payroll and real-time tracking, its automation takes care of repetitive, time-consuming work so your crew can focus on what truly matters: running smooth, successful events and keeping staff from feeling overwhelmed. When things get intense, you can also use built-in communication tools to quickly share updates, assign tasks, and check in with your team.

Book your free demo today and see how easier staff management leads to calmer, more productive event days.