Stress In The Workplace

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 Standards overview Standards Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

Analysis manual Analysis tool Action plan Focus  groups Suggestions Indicator tool Indicator manual Example policy Leaflet
What is stress?
HSE Health & Safety Executive defines stress as: “The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them”. Pressure is part and parcel of all work and helps to keep us motivated . But excessive pressure can lead to stress which undermines performance, is costly to employers and can make people ill. Work-related stress is a serious problem. Tackling it effectively can result in significant benefits for organisations. •There are practical things organisations can do to prevent and control work-related stress. The Standards help you to measure performance in managing work-related stress. Each standard provides simple statements about good management practice in each of the six areas.

Introduction

All information and materials used in this presentation are freely available and downloadable from the Health & Safety Executive home page.

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

Why you should read this?
Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health. That means sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance in your organisation. This advice will help you, your employees and their representatives manage the issue sensibly and minimise the impact of work-related stress on your business. In fact, it might help you improve business performance.

Who should use this advice?
This advice is aimed at anyone with responsibility for tackling work-related stress in your organisation. That might be the person who has responsibility for co-ordinating your stress risk assessment, human resources managers, health and safety officers, trade union representatives or line managers.

Who should use this advice?
The process outlined here is not law, but following it can help you meet your legal duties. This advice does not replace HSE’s existing stress guidance documents - ‘Tackling Work-related Stress: A guide for employers’ (HSG218) and ‘Real Solutions, Real People’. It provides further practical information, advice and tools on how to assess the risks from work-related stress in your organisation.

You don't have to be a psychologist, doctor or management consultant to understand what is causing stress in your workplace. •Following the simple, practical steps in this guide will help you identify the causes and take action yourself.

 

Identify the hazards •Find out what’s causing stress in your workplace. This can be done by looking at the key areas 1 to 6. The purpose of the Stress Management Standards The Standards look at the six key areas of work that, if properly managed, can help to reduce work-related stress:  

Demands – 1
Includes issues like workload, work patterns and the work environment. 

Control – 2
How much say the person has in the way they do their work. 

Support – 3
Includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.  

Relationships – 4
Includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour. 

Role – 5
Whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles.  

Change – 6
How organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation.

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