Work Stress - Managing Employees
Are some people more likely to suffer
from stress than others?
We’re all vulnerable to stress, depending on the pressure we’re under at
any given time: even people who are usually very hardy. As an employer,
you’re responsible for making sure that work doesn’t make your employees
ill. If you notice that someone is particularly vulnerable because of
their circumstances, look at how their work is organized. See if there
are ways to relieve the pressures so that they do not become excessive.
However, unless you know otherwise, you could assume that all your
employees are mentally capable of withstanding reasonable pressure from
work.
How do I recognize stress in a
particular person?
Many of the outward signs of stress in individuals should be noticeable
to managers and colleagues. Look in particular for changes in a person’s
mood or behavior, such as deteriorating relationships with colleagues,
irritability, indecisiveness, absenteeism or reduced performance. Those
suffering from stress may also smoke or drink alcohol more than usual or
even turn to drugs. They might also complain about their health: for
example they may get frequent headaches.
How do I find out if stress could be a
problem for my firm or organization?
First, take informal feedback to get some idea of what problems may
exist: for example, see if your staff are disillusioned with their work.
This may show up as an increase in absenteeism (especially frequent
short spells of sickness), lateness, disciplinary problems or staff
turnover, or a reduction in output or quality of product or service.
There may, of course, be other reasons for these symptoms, but if they
could be related to stress at work, get your staff to tell you about it
by:
-
Talking and listening
to them. You could base the discussion on the sort of pressures
mentioned in the middle of this booklet;
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Asking them to
describe the three ‘best’ and the three ‘worst’ aspects of their job,
and whether any of these put them under uncomfortable pressure.
You can use the
information you collect to identify common and persistent pressures, and
who might be harmed by them. Several off-the-shelf questionnaires do the
same kind of thing. These can be helpful but tend to be lengthy and may
not ask the type of questions that are relevant to your organization.
Also, interpreting the findings may require specialist knowledge.
Remember to:
-
Respect the
confidentiality of your staff;
-
Tell your staff what
you plan to do with any information you collect;
-
Involve them, as much
as possible, in subsequent decisions;
-
Involve safety
representatives, if you have them, in your plans and decisions;
-
If you employ five or
more staff, record the important findings from your risk assessment,
for example by writing them down;
Check from time to time
that the situation hasn’t changed.
If I do find out that
stress is, or could be, a problem, what can I do about it?
There’s no single best way of tackling work-related stress. What you do
will depend on your working practices and the causes of the problem. But
only providing training or help (or both) for sufferers won’t be enough
– it won’t tackle the source of the problem! The boxes in the middle of
this booklet show some of the pressures at work that might be relevant
to smaller organizations, along with some suggestions about what to do.
What can I do to prevent
stress from becoming a problem?
Most of the ‘things to do’ boil down to good management. They’re ongoing
processes that need to be built into the way your organization is run.
-
Show that you take
stress seriously, and be understanding towards people who admit to
being under too much pressure.
-
Encourage managers to
have an open and understanding attitude to what people say to them
about the pressures of their work, and to look for signs of stress in
their staff.
-
Ensure that staff have
the skills, training and resources they need, so that they know what
to do, are confident that they can do it and receive credit for it.
-
If possible, provide
some scope for varying working conditions and flexibility, and for
people to influence the way their jobs are done. This will increase
their interest and sense of ownership.
-
Ensure that people are
treated fairly and consistently and that bullying and harassment
aren’t tolerated.
-
Ensure good two-way
communication, especially at times of change.
Don’t be afraid to
listen.