Tutor Viewpoint - Stress in the Workplace

Wendy Claxton BSc (Hons), Dip2.OSH, CMIOSH

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), nearly five million workers in the UK find their job either very or extremely stressful. Over half a million of them have reported experiencing work-related stress to an extent that made them ill. A total of 12.8 million working days were lost due to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004/05. So, if you are experiencing any of these feelings, then you are certainly not alone.

What is Stress?

The HSE defines stress as:

"The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them."

We all need a certain amount of pressure to keep us motivated at work, but excessive pressure can lead to stress and illness. In turn, this affects business performance and is costly to employers.

How Stress Affects People

The following physical symptoms of stress are generally short-lived:

• Raised heart rate.
• Increased sweating.
• Headaches.
• Dizziness.
• Blurred vision.
• Aching neck and shoulders.
• Skin rashes.
• Lowered resistance to infection.

However, prolonged chronic exposure to stress may lead to:

• High blood pressure.
• Heart disease.
• Anxiety and depression.
• Ulcers.
• Thyroid disorders.

As well as physical effects on the body, behavioural changes may also be seen in an individual. For example:

• Increased anxiety and irritability.
• Increased alcohol consumption.
• Increased smoking.
• Difficulty sleeping.
• Poor concentration.
• Inability to cope with everyday tasks and situations.

These are the key warning signs to watch out for, although some people manage to hide these symptoms and behaviours well.

Causes of Stress

Everybody copes with pressure in different ways. One person may respond positively, by viewing the pressure as a challenge, whilst another may see the same situation as purely stressful. There are a number of factors that may influence the way in which an individual deals with a situation:

• Organisational factors - these arise from the culture and the management style of the organisation. They include, unreasonable pace of work, lack of control over work, inadequate managerial support and demanding work schedules.
• Personal relationships - these affect the individual personally. Poor relationships can lead to feelings of isolation and bullying and harassment.
• Physical factors - these affect the workplace and include lighting, temperature, noise, space and ergonomic design.
• Working hours - these take into account the number of hours worked and the pattern of those hours, e.g. shift work.

Managing Stress in the Workplace

There is no specific legislation, but there are general duties for employers.

• Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974

  There is a general duty for employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all their employees. This would also include mental health.

• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

  Employers have a duty to produce a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their employees. Occupational stress should also be included in this assessment.

• Working Time Regulations 1998

  These restrict the length of the working week, which can help to reduce stress levels.

There have been a few cases in recent years regarding an employer's liability for stress at work. The case of Sutherland v. Hatton (2002) confirmed that the usual principles of employer's liability apply to stress cases. These are:

• The claimant has suffered injury to his health (occupational stress would not be sufficient).
• The injury must be attributable to stress at work (as opposed to other factors).
• The injury to this particular employee was reasonably foreseeable, based on information that the employer knew or ought reasonably to have known.
• The employer offered a confidential advice service, with referral to appropriate counselling or treatment services. Employers offering such a service are unlikely to be found in breach of duty.

Tackling Work-Based Stress

Stress has always been difficult to manage and as a result of this, the HSE launched the Management Standards in November 2004. They aim to help simplify risk assessments for stress and encourage employers, employees and their representatives, to work together to address work-related stress. The Standards should be used by organisations to measure their performance in tackling the key causes of stress.

In implementing the Standards approach, the HSE have identified and are targeting five key sectors, based on the incidence and prevalence of work-related stress. These sectors are: health, education, local Government, central Government and financial services.

The HSE has identified the following six risk factors that can cause work-related stress:

• The demands of the job - including issues like workload, work patterns, and the work environment.
• The control the employee has over their work - how much input they have in the way they do their work.
• The support the employee receives from managers and colleagues - including the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.
• The employee's relationships at work - from promoting positive working to avoiding conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
• The employee's role in the organisation - whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that people do not have conflicting roles.
• Change and how it is managed - how organisational change (no matter what size) is managed and communicated within the organisation.

The HSE produced the Management Standards to help manage stress in the workplace and to indicate targets for organisations to aim towards. There is one Standard for each risk factor. The Standards define a desirable set of conditions to work towards.

Implementing the Management Standards

The process involves the organisation considering their current status with regard to psychosocial working conditions, so that they can focus on the actions that need improvement. Where necessary, the HSE Indicator Tool (see www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards ) can help organisations to gain a general idea of their position within each of the Standards.

Employers need to consider the following:

• Using existing information to assess their organisation. The use of sickness data, staff turnover data and surveys reflecting the views of employees will help.
• Using an HSE survey that has been developed to evaluate performance against the Standards. Refer to the HSE Indicator Tool.
• Exchanging views with employees and their representatives on the findings of the survey and what is happening within the organisation.

Alternatively, if employers prefer not to use the surveys, HSE's INDG406 Tackling stress: the Management Standards approach, suggests the following:

• "Go straight into discussion with employees.
• Outline the importance of tackling stress and discuss the statements in the Standards with a representative sample of your employees.
• Ensure employees are able to express their honest opinions, e.g. consider involving someone else in the process so that employees are not afraid to say what they think.
• Record what employees say, which will help you prioritise and give you a record to check back on in the future.
• Continue to use existing methods to talk to employees about issues that affect them at work, e.g. regular staff meetings, toolbox talks, or performance reviews.
• Look at HSE's guidance book Tackling work-related stress (HSG218), which is only available in the Real solutions, real people pack."

And finally:

If employees are concerned about their working conditions, then employers, employees and their representatives need to work together to decide on practical solutions. HSE's Real solutions, real people (www.hse.gov.uk/stress ) gives examples of how other organisations have gone about this.

References

Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

INDG406 Tackling stress: the Management Standards approach , HSE, 2005

Working together to reduce stress at work - A guide for employees , International Stress Management Association, 2004

Tolley's Health and Safety at Work Handbook , LexisNexis UK, 2004

Acknowledgment

Crown copyright material is reproduced under the terms of the Click-Use Licence.

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