Stress at Work.

Overview

Stress related ill-health is continuing to increase in the workplace. Recent studies have shown that:

		work-related stress is now the second most common cause of sickness absence;
		the number of days taken off due to stress increased from 6.5 million in 1996 to 13.5 million in 2000;
		the number of workers suffering from stress at work increased from 53% in 2001 to 64% in 2002.

In addition to the direct costs of stress-related sickness absence, there are also costs associated with:

		reduced productivity from ‘stressed’ employees who remain at work but are not working to their full potential;
		increased labour turnover, as employees unable to ‘cope’ simply leave the organisation;
		accidents
		poor quality of products/customer service as a result of errors made by ‘stressed’ employees;
		litigation.

Why you should take action

There are a number of compelling reasons to address stress in the workplace. They include:

		your duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health of your employees at work;
		the direct and indirect costs of stress related sickness absence;
		new HSE Management Standards.

By the end of 2003, the HSE will be introducing management standards on stress prevention.Work-related stress audits during routine health and safety inspections. In order to comply, you as an employer will be required to carry out a stress risk assessment that identifies work-related stressors, those who might be harmed, and how. Once you have identified the hazards, you will need to take action to reduce them.

How we can help

We have particular expertise in managing mental well-being in the workplace. We can help you address work-related stress and comply with the new HSE management regulations by developing a mental well-being programme which includes:

		a policy for mental well-being in the workplace;
		an on-line stress risk assessment tool;
		development of an action plan;
		introduction of initiatives to reduce identified workplace hazards.

For more information on the on-line stress risk assessment tool click here.

In addition to working with you to manage work-related stress at the organisational level, we can help you manage mental well-being at the individual level by assessing and medically managing employees who are absent from work due to mental ill-health.

For more information on how we can help, please contact us.

ON-LINE STRESS RISK ASSESSMENT TOOL

What is it?

The on-line stress risk assessment [SRA] tool is an on-line questionnaire which uses the HSE’s 5-step model of risk assessment. It focuses on the effects of the seven key potential stressors identified by the HSE within your organisation. These are:

		Culture of organisation and how it approaches work-related stress;
		Demands: workload, physical hazards;
		Control: individual in relation to his/her job;
		Relationships: bullying, harassment;
		Change: how it is managed in the organisation and communicated;
		Role clarity: role conflict;
		Support and training, and factors unique to the individual.

Why use the SRA?

The on-line SRA provides a number of benefits over the standard risk assessment process undertaken by nominated individuals within the organisation. The SRA not only measures the effects of stress and assesses what risk factors are affecting employee well-being and productivity, but it also:

		provides both group level and confidential individual results;
		identifies the risk factors in a quick and objective way;
		provides a structured approach to measuring the extent to which stress is a problem;
		shows the relative importance of the 7 potential stressors at the organisational level, by specific job type, by work group and by location;
		provides you with the information to determine what management need to do;
		provides a permanent record of the risk assessment and the steps you have taken to address the issues.