Stress:employee’s training

www.ohtoolkit.co.uk

Contents

• What is the issue?• What is the issue in our organisation?• Why should we deal with it?• What are our responsibilities?• How do we deal with stress in our organisation?• What do the Management Standards mean for me?• What are my responsibilities?• What can I do if I’m stressed?• What next?• Where can I find out more?

What is the issue?

Stress has been defined by the HSE as:

‘The adverse reaction people have to excessive

pressure or other types of demand placed on them.’

Source: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm

What is the issue?

In Great Britain:• 16.7 % workers say they find their work either

very or extremely stressful (2009 survey)• work-related stress accounts for approximately a

third of all new incidences of ill health

continued…

What is the issue?

• each case of stress-related ill health leads to an average of 26.8 working days lost

• an estimated 11.4 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2008/9

Source: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/why.htm

What is the issue inour organisation?

Insert your own data

Why should we deal with it?

• Legal – our responsibility under health and safety law

• Moral – our obligation as a good employer• Bottom line – dealing with stress at work not only

reduces sickness absence levels but can improve things such as…

Source: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/why.htm

Why should we deal with it?

• Employee commitment to work• Staff performance and productivity• Staff turnover or intention to leave• Staff recruitment and retention• Customer satisfaction • Organisational image and reputation

Source: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/why.htm

What are our employer’s responsibilities?

• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to secure the health (including mental health), safety and welfare of employees at work

• This includes providing a safe place of work, safe systems of work, and information and training

What are our employer’s responsibilities?

• The Management Regulations 1999 require suitable and sufficient assessments of health and safety risks at work to be carried out – this includes assessing the risk of stress-related ill health

How could we deal with stress in our organisation?

• The HSE has developed Management Standards• These act as a yardstick against which

organisations can measure their performance, and provide indicators of good practice

• The Management Standards approach helps employers work with their employees and representatives to carry out risk assessments for stress

Source: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg406.pdf

How could we deal with stress in our organisation?

The target is for all organisations to match the performance of the top 20% of employers that are successfully minimising work-related stress. This means your employer will need to…

How could we deal with stress in our organisation?

• Assess the risk and potential causes of stress, eg by looking at sickness absence records or attitude surveys, or conducting specific stress-related surveys or getting feedback from focus groups

continued…

How could we deal with stress in our organisation?

• Use these to assess how the organisation is performing in relation to the six risk factors. This includes managers talking to their teams to identify stress ‘hot spots’

• Consult with staff to decide on improvement targets and action plans

Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg424.pdf

How could we deal with stress in our organisation?

To help employers understand how to do a risk assessment for work-related stress, the HSE has identified six key areas (or ‘risk factors’) that can be causes of work-related stress

How could we deal with stress in our organisation?

These six areas are:• the demands of your job• your control over your work• the support you get from managers and

colleagues• your relationships at work• your role in the organisation• change and how it’s managed

What do the ManagementStandards mean for me?

• Your manager will have access to advice to help improve their understanding of stress and take it seriously

• If you’re experiencing work-related stress, you should be listened to and help should be available

What do the ManagementStandards mean for me?

• In the past, the causes of stress were well known but little if anything was done to fix them. The new Standards mean managers now have to work with you to find solutions, so your problems should reduce over time

• Employees and their representatives will be given an opportunity to give their views and to help create action plans to help reduce stress at work

What are myresponsibilities?

• You have a duty to take care of your health and safety

• Speak up if you’re having a problem• Take part in the risk assessment process• Read management communications• Attend training• Help yourself…

What can I do if I’m stressed?

• Identify causes and what you can do to make things better

• Tell your manager at an early stage. If your stress is work related, this will give them the chance to help and stop the situation getting worse. Even if it isn’t work related, they may be able to do something to reduce some of your pressure

continued…Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg424.pdf

What can I do if I’m stressed?

• If the source of pressure is your line manager, find out what procedures are in place to deal with this

• If there aren’t any, talk to your employee representative, HR department, employee assistance programme or counselling service (if you have one)

continued…

What can I do if I’m stressed?

• Alternatively, talk to your trade union safety representative or union representative, who can also provide advice on a range of work-related topics

Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg424.pdf

What next?

• Explain your organisation’s policy towards employees, including answers to the following…

What’s my role in the process? What is my organisation doing? Where can I find out more?

Where can I find out more?

• There’s a free leaflet that explains all about the Standards at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg424.pdf