The following article - on the key HR theme of Managing Stress in the workplace - has been written in conjunction with the eponymous IRS conference which took place on 21 March 2007.
Stress is defined as, ‘The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them.’ (Health & Safety Executive (HSE)).
According to figures quoted by the HSE, one in five employees are extremely stressed at work and work-related stress accounts for over a third of all new incidences of ill health. Nearly 31 working days are, on average, lost to stress-related illness.
“Organisations must look at stress and go for prevention, and before even thinking about doing a risk assessment, it is imperative that managers are trained up. From this, the rest [steering groups and action plans] will slot into place,” says Jane Thomas, Chair of the International Stress Management Association UK (ISMA).
Much depends on the culture prevalent within an organisation and areas such as flexibility in working hours all contribute to play their part in helping tackle the problem.
Long working hours and ‘presenteeism’ - perennial by-words for working practice in the UK - have not only led to lower levels in employee productivity but have also contributed to work-related stress. Employees might be ‘present’ but they are not functioning effectively.
The HSE launched its highly successful Management Standards (2004) to help organisations implement effective strategies and combat the adverse effects of what is, clearly, a core business concern.
The HSE guidelines cover the following six key areas:
“The key to helping eliminate workplace stress is picking up the early warning signs and managers need to be trained thoroughly - a top-down approach is recommended,” stresses Jane Thomas.
A manager might typically sit down with the employee and work through prepared guidance notes. Part of the process in helping cut down on absence is to identify signs of burnout and for the manager to establish whether or not a particular employee is actually in a fit state of mind to do the work allocated to her.
Despite significant progress in both the private and public sectors, stress-related illness is the biggest contributor to workplace absence.
Awareness and progress have increased but the economic cost to the UK industry still runs into billions of pounds each year and it is not something that employers can afford to take lightly.
For more information about the HSE and its management standards, visit its dedicated stress microsite at www.hse.gov.uk/stress.
National Stress Awareness Day ™ is organised by the International Stress Management Association. For more information, visit www.isma.org.uk.
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