STRESS BUSTING

Stress Mess!

A high-profile Health and Safety publication recently ran an article with the above title, in which it was claimed that workplace stress is not being understood by line managers, with a large majority receiving no training in identifying warning signs and nearly half not clear on the law. It went on to give the results of a survey of 1400 HR managers, which showed that:

• 80 per cent had not undertaken stress audits, despite HSE guidelines;
• 56 per cent did not have a specific strategy for managing workplace stress;
• more than 80 per cent of line managers have no training to identify warning signs;
• 60 per cent do not monitor stress-related absence; and
• just under half are totally unaware or unsure of the legal obligations. (SHP November 2005)

Where does your organisation fit in? You may feel that you have got stress under control, or perhaps you are part of the majority who have just not been able or are afraid to get started in case you open up ‘a can of worms’. Many people fear that stress-related investigations may exacerbate problems and lead to questions being asked about line managers’ competence.

We offer help in a number of ways:

• Training. We run regular CIEH Stress Awareness courses (see the stress awareness section on the courses page).
• Stress Management. We can act as facilitators in looking at the management of stress in your organisation. Using the HSE’s Stress Management Standards approach, we can also help set up and lead focus groups. In addition, we can carry out Stress Audits or Risk Assessments on your behalf.
• Counselling. We can offer follow-up individual stress counselling for employees, when required.

If you wish to discuss stress management in general and/or work out a bespoke package, please get in touch with us to arrange a meeting.