Tackling work-related stress

Helen McGill

Work-related stress team

HSE.

Visit the Management Standards website at: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards

Health and Safety Executive

Dan’s story: feeling the pressure

• Difference between pressure and stress

• Changes to management and protocol led to excessive pressure=stress

• It is important to understand what stress is and what causes it

Dan’s story

http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/video/danstory1.htm

The truth about work-related stress

• No one definition but plenty of Google entries!

• HSE defines work-related stress as:

“…the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them.”

Stress at work cannot be ignored

• Last year, around 415 000 people in Britain believed that they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill

• Nearly 10 million working days lost in Britain

• Employees will be less productive if they come to work feeling stressed

What does it mean for business?

• Increased sick absence

• One case can lead to an average of 30 days off work

• Poor productivity

• Staff not working to their full potential

What the law says

• Legal duties under two pieces of legislation:

- The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

– Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Management Standards

The Standards are designed to:

• Help simplify risk assessment for stress

• Encourage partnership working

• Allow benchmarking against other organisations

HSE approach

• Encouraging organisations to take action

• No prosecutions but Improvement Notices

• HSE does not expect removal of all pressure from the workplace!

LA enforcement activity

• Most activity has concentrated on the financial sector

• Examples of effective Local Authority inspection activity in the City:

Tower Hamlets

City of London

Westminster city council

Let’s revisit Dan

http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/video/danstory2.htm

Dan’s story

• What went wrong?

No action taken by Dan’s manager

Manager did not know what signs and symptoms to look out for

He assumed Dan would approach him without encouragement

Dan’s story

• What went right

Manager understood more about Dan and his role

Dan knows he can talk to his manager about any issues

Addressed workload/other causes of stress

Involving staff in actions

Management Competencies

• When Dan’s manager took appropriate action, he displayed competencies that are effective in identifying and tackling in his staff:

RESPECTFUL AND RESPONSIBLE: MANAGING EMOTIONS AND HAVING INTEGRITY

MANAGING AND COMMUNICATING EXISTING AND FUTURE WORK

MANAGING THE INDIVIDUAL WITHIN THE TEAM

REASONING/MANAGING DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

The role of the line manager

• Line managers – the first line of defence

• Investment is need to give managers the skills they need

• Line manager competency tool – HSE website

www.hse.gov.uk/stress/mcit.htm

Work-related stress website

What works?

• The Blackpool Way

• Oxfordshire County Council work with schools

• See HSE website for new case studies

A year on: HSE strategy

• HSE’s new strategy for the health and safety of Great Britain

• Reinforces the principles of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

• Key themes include: the need for strong leadership, building competence, involving the workforce

What next?

• Stress remains a big problem

• Line manager competency – the first line of defence

• Management Standards – tell us about your experiences

For more information…

• Visit HSE’s stress at work website

www.hse.gov.uk/stress

• Contact the Stress Team

• Helen McGill – 0151 951 3627

helen.mcgill@hse.gsi.gov.uk