Preventing and managing stress
Behaviour / 06 February 2012
Employees suffering from stress may require adjustments to their job.
Managers have a vital role to play in helping employees cope with stress but it requires a willingness to talk about the issue, says Dr Sally Wilson, research fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies (IES)
At some point in their lives more than one in three people will be affected by a stress-related health problem such as anxiety or depression.
Therefore it is sensible for employers to assume that anyone in the workplace could be at risk.
If work causes or exacerbates any worker’s mental health condition, this should be seen as a health and safety issue.
Managers have a vital part to play in preventing and managing workplace stress as they are in direct contact with employees who may experience these kinds of problems.
IES research for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed that in some organisations there was a widespread or embedded view among managers that exhibiting signs of stress was ‘a weakness’.
Problems arose when stress management was seen by managers as exclusively within the role of HR or occupational health.
IES’s research highlighted the critical role of the line manager in monitoring how work demands are affecting employees.
It was also noted that it could be particularly difficult for line managers to take action to address workload issues without senior managers behind them. Line managers are usually the first port of call for an employee who is experiencing any stress-related problem.
They need to be aware of any organisational support available such as counselling, Employee Assistance Programmes and other forms of Occupational Health provision.
The management of stress needs to go beyond changing policies and procedures, and requires a willingness to talk openly about stress. Taking an honest look at organisational culture is important.
Dr Sally Wilson, research fellow, the Institure for Employment Studies
In some cases, other organisational procedures and policies (such as those which address bullying or harassment) may be relevant, and all managers should be familiar with the circumstances in which those apply.
Top-down approach
Effective stress management requires an informed approach from those with day-to-day responsibility for managing people.
The management of stress needs to go beyond changing policies and procedures, and requires a willingness to talk openly about stress. Taking an honest look at organisational culture is important.
Ideally an organisation-wide top-down approach should be adopted. Therefore it is important to foster a work environment in which employees feel able to talk about any difficulties they experience.
Stress management training can help line managers to notice when an employee is suffering from stress and help them feel more confident in addressing the issue.
Also, a range of providers offer training on ‘having difficult conversations’ and can give managers the confidence they need to discuss the subject sensitively.
Employees suffering from stress may require adjustments to their job, and resources are available which can help line managers judge what kind of measures would be helpful.
Shift, part of the National Mental Health Development Unit, has created a freely available Line Managers' Resource that offers a practical guide for managing and supporting people with experience of mental health problems in the workplace.
Initiatives such as Mindful Employer and organisations such as Mind, the Centre for Mental Health and NICE produce information aimed at increasing awareness of mental health at work and providing support for businesses in retaining staff.
Where available to managers, in-house OH professionals who deal with sensitive issues of this type on a routine basis can provide useful advice.
General information on mental health conditions as well as guidance on stress can be found on the HSE website, which serves as an accessible resource for line managers and other non-specialist professionals.
Although it can be difficult to give these issues sufficient attention with other pressures on resources, all employers should be looking to minimise the extent to which cases of mental ill health are attributable to or worsened by their place of work.
Click here to read more about IES's research.