Directors’ Briefing Human resources management

Stress
management

Work-related stress affects employers as 1.4 Individual employees experiencing work-

well as employees. It can cause illness related stress might take their employer to
and absenteeism and can be the cause of court.
bad business decisions, poor workplace
relations and loss of productivity. Managing • Settlements can be expensive.
it effectively can bring many benefits.

This briefing covers: 2 Recognise workplace stress

• The cost of ignoring stress. Stress is the adverse reaction people have to
• How to recognise work-related stress. excessive pressures or other types of demand
• Common causes and possible remedies. placed upon them — it is not the same as
• How to manage work-related stress. pressure.

People facing challenges which they perceive

1 The cost of ignoring stress they will have difficulty coping with may
experience stress. The sooner stress is
Stress is the single biggest cause of absence in recognised as a potential problem, the sooner
the UK affecting one in five workers. Each case you can do something about it.
of stress-related ill health leads to an average of
30.9 working days lost.

1.1 Work-related stress can result in high levels

of employee turnover.

• This can disrupt business and reduce

productivity. It also increases costs (for
example, on recruitment and training).

1.2 Employees experiencing stress are more

likely to make poor decisions and casual
errors.

• They may apply faulty judgement to

important matters. For example, in contract
negotiations.

1.3 Workplace relations and customer service

may deteriorate.

• Employees are likely to be more irritable

and less tolerant.

England Reviewed 01/10/08

Directors’ Briefing 2

2.1 Stress can lead to behavioural changes • Complain of nausea, frequent headaches The Health and
in your employees. and migraines or other unexplained aches Safety Executive
and pains. publishes a free
For example, those affected may: • Admit to sleeping badly. guide called ‘Work-
• Seem jumpy, or you may notice they are related stress’ (01787
• Feel constantly rushed and unable to shaky or trembling. 881165 or www.hse.
concentrate. gov.uk/pubns).
• Not be able to switch off from work, or feel 2.3 Experiencing consistent levels of stress may
tired all the time. lead to longer-term illnesses.
• Dread coming into work.
• Lose their sense of humour and become • Stress has been linked to asthma, high
moody and irritable. blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers,
• Change the pattern of their working day strokes and even cancer.
(eg they might start staying late and • It can also cause mental health problems,
consistently refuse to take breaks). such as anxiety or depression.
• Start taking more sick leave.

“
• Drop the standard of their work.
3 Common causes Taking action to
2.2 Employees may show signs of physical manage work-
illness. There are many factors that can result in related stress
employees experiencing workplace stress. You effectively will bring
For example, they may:

Tough at the top

may need to address several areas to remove
the causes of the stress.

3.1 Demands of the job.

dividends to all.
Caroline
Raymond,
Stress in
”
Owner managers and directors often find Perspective Ltd
their positions lonely and isolating, which • It is counterproductive to give employees
itself can cause stress. too much to do or not enough time to
complete it in on a continuous basis.
A There is often little support in decision- • Poor instructions or insufficient training can
making. cause stress.
Employees often expect the boss to know • Employees may over-estimate their own
exactly what to do. capacity for work and then be reluctant to
admit they have bitten off more than they
• Decision-making is more stressful if there can chew.
is no-one to share responsibility should
things go wrong. 3.2 Long hours and reluctance to take leave.
• Discussing work-related or personal
problems with employees may feel • It may sometimes be necessary for
inappropriate, leading to further feelings employees to come in early and leave late.
of isolation. But working in excess of normal hours for
extended periods can result in accidents
B Try finding ways to talk. and mistakes.

• Create an informal group of colleagues 3.3 Workplace relationships.

who work at the same level in other
companies. • Problems with a manager or fellow
They will probably be just as keen to employee can be a major source of work-
discuss their challenges at work as you. related stress.
• Humiliating employees, or allowing others
C Consider bringing in outside help. to, leads to a loss of respect and co-
operation from employees.
• A mentor (or executive coach) could help • Bullying or aggressive behaviour will
you cope with the pressures of running a certainly cause stress and can also lead to
business. legal action.
A mentor could also help you sort
out priorities and long-term goals and 3.4 Management style.
assist in managing change within your
company. • Ineffective management can cause
• Most Business Link offices offer employees stress. For example, failure to
mentoring. address known problem areas or deal with
problem employees.
Directors’ Briefing 3

3.5 Periods of change. • Consider training managers in interpersonal

skills.
• Any change in the way a business operates • Make sure there is someone within the
can upset the working environment. company that employees can bring their
• Insufficient support or information during problems to in confidence.
times of change or busy periods creates
uncertainty. 4.4 Establish a style of management that is
appropriate and productive.
3.6 Organisational structure.
• Rule by reward, not punishment. Let
• Lack of clarity about roles, responsibilities employees know their work is valued and
and objectives causes confusion and lack appreciated.
of direction. • Review performance regularly, so
employees know how well they are doing.
3.7 Personal problems • Operate an open door policy, and
encourage employees to approach you
• Managers should not ignore employees’ with problems.
personal problems. • Monitor levels of absence and sickness
For example, bereavement, divorce, illness, leave.
moving home and financial problems can all • Survey staff to assess staff attitudes and
cause high levels of stress that may impact experiences in the workplace.
on an employee's ability to carry out his or • Draw up a stress policy stating that you
her job. take stress seriously and detailing how you
plan to deal with workplace stress.
• Offer employees training, help, advice and
4 Tackle the causes support.

Taking action to manage stress effectively can 4.5 Inform employees about changes that
have a positive effect. Employees will be more affect the way the company operates.
committed to your business and productivity is
likely to increase. • Ensure employees understand the
company's long-term goals.
4.1 Introduce measures to reduce the • Explain the reasons for any change and
demands of the job. how they might be affected.
• Arrange meetings to discuss new projects
• Set targets that are challenging but realistic. so everyone is clear what is happening and
• Make sure employees do not take on too what is expected of them.
much work. Encourage delegation where • Encourage two-way communication with
possible. staff. Ask for input, ideas and opinions.
• Provide training in time management, if
necessary. 4.6 Establish clear job descriptions.
Encourage employees to prioritise and
tackle the most important tasks first. • Clarify employees' objectives and
• Cut back on time-wasting activities, such responsibilities.
as over-long meetings.
4.7 Provide support to employees experiencing
4.2 Take steps to avoid a long-hours culture. personal problems and difficulties.

• Encourage employees to take regular short • Offer employees time off if necessary.
breaks, in addition to longer holidays to • Consider offering more flexible working
allow them to unwind fully. arrangements.
• Make sure they take a lunch break, rather • If appropriate, encourage employees to
than eating on the job. seek professional help.
• Encourage employees to leave on time and
to do something in complete contrast to
their work. 5 Managing workplace stress

4.3 Implement policies and procedures to 5.1 Be aware of your legal responsibilities.
improve working relationships.
• Under health and safety regulations you are
• Draw up a policy to prevent bullying and responsible for the occupational health of
harrassment. your employees.
Directors’ Briefing 4

Implement the Health & Safety Executive Expert

management standards to ensure best contributors
practice (www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/
index.htm). Thanks to Caroline
Raymond (Stress
5.2 Conduct a stress risk assessment of your In Perspective Ltd,
business. 01747 811071;
enquiries@stress-
• Your audit should highlight actual and ip.co.uk; www.stress-
potential causes of stress. ip.co.uk)
• It should reflect the areas of risk identified
in the Health & Safety Executive's
management standards (see 5.1).
• The audit can be done by using
questionnaires or by talking to staff,
individually or in groups.

5.3 Put in place an effective stress policy and

procedures for managers and employees.

• A model stress policy can be found on the

Health & Safety Executive website (see 6.1).

5.4 Make sure managers understand their

roles and responsibilities in managing
workplace stress.

5.5 Consider offering access to counselling

services (see 6.5).

6 Sources of help
6.1 The Health & Safety Executive provides
guidance and real-life examples of how
businesses have managed stress effectively
(www.hse.gov.uk/stress).

6.2 Acas has produced a range of information

on stress (www.acas.org.uk).

6.3 The Institute of Occupational Health

and Safety offers a number of courses on
stress (www.iosh.co.uk or 0116 257 3100).

6.4 Access qualified stress management

professionals through the International
Stress Management Association (www.
isma.org.uk or 07000 780 430). © BHP Information
Solutions Ltd 2008.
6.5 One-to-one stress counselling services ISSN 1369-1996. All
rights reserved. No
can be found through the Employee part of this publication
Assistance Professional Association may be reproduced or
(www.eapa.org.uk or 0800 783 7616) or transmitted without the
written permission of the
the British Association for Counselling publisher. This publication
and Psychotherapy (www.bacp.co.uk or is for general guidance
01788 550899). only. The publisher, expert
contributors and distributor
disclaim all liability for
6.6 The Mental Health Foundation website any errors or omissions.
has a range of free publications and links to Consult your local business
support organisation or your
other useful sources of information (www. professional adviser for help
mentalhealth.org.uk). and advice.

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