3. The legal caseThe legal case
•All employers owe a legal duty of care to their employees and injury to
mental health is treated in the same way as injury to physical health
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations1999
The Contractual Obligation
Equality Act 2010 (Formerly Disability Discrimination Act 2005)
Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and Race Relations Act 1976
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978
The Employment Rights Act 1996,
The Prevention of Harassment Act 1997
The Working Hours Directive
4. The business case:The business case:
Reduces absence
Increases work quality and performance
Reduces resistance to change
Improves relationships with customers, colleagues and suppliers
Reduces staff turnover
5. The HSE case via the ManagementThe HSE case via the Management
Standards:Standards:
HSE will and does prosecute
Aim is to reduce the levels of work related stress
Uses existing data such as sickness absence and staff
turnover/surveys/focus groups
Helps simplify risk assessment
Encourages employers/employees and their representatives to
work in partnership to address work related stress throughout the
organisation
Provides a yardstick by which organisations can gauge their
performance
www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards
6. The management standards cover sixThe management standards cover six
key areas:key areas:
Demands – workload, work patterns and work environment
Control – how much say the person has in the way they work
Support – such as encouragement, coaching and mentoring
Relationships – positive working to prevent conflict and dealing
with unacceptable behaviour
Role – no conflict and clear reporting
Change – how the company is managed and change
communicated
7. The personal case?The personal case?
Socially and morally correct
Each stress case leads to an average of 29 lost days
Work related stress costs 3.7-3.8 billion/year
IT MIGHT BE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
8. What is stressWhat is stress??
Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive
pressure or other types of demand placed on them
When the individual no longer feels able to cope then ill health
may result
There is a clear distinction between pressure which creates a
buzz and stress which occurs when pressure becomes excess
9. What is pressure and stress?What is pressure and stress?
PRESSURE is the starting point of the stress process, the
stimulus in the stress reaction
PRESSURE is inevitable but it is neutral neither good nor bad
STRESS is the physiological, physical and behavioural effects
to an unpleasant or threatening stimuli
STRESS is the reaction people have to pressure. It arises when
they worry they cannot cope. (HSE 1995)
10. When does stress become distressWhen does stress become distress
The fight/flight mechanism is meant to be turned on and off in a
crisis
When the mechanism is turned on continuously then the
potential for DISTRESS can occur
DISTRESS occurs when pressure becomes a negative rather
than a positive force and the stress remains unresolved
11. Doc. 1.Mission and vision/mission issue 1 4/11/04
PressurePressure
AdaptationAdaptation GROWTHGROWTH
STRESSSTRESS
DISTRESSDISTRESS
The relationship between pressure, growth and stressThe relationship between pressure, growth and stress
12. How do you recognise stress
May be acute or chronic
Acute - is like panic – racing pulse / flushing / sweating dry
mouth/trembling
Chronic – headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, aching neck and
shoulders or skin rashes
13. What to look for in your self and others
Physical signs
Headaches
Tension
Indigestion
Breathlessness
Rashes
Frequent colds
Recurrent illnesses
Mental signs
Inability to concentrate
Worrying
Mistakes
Muddled thanking
Negative thinking
14. What to look for in your self and others
• Behavioural signs
•Unsociable
•Restlessness
•Lying
•Reckless driving
•Increased drinking or smoking
•Emotional signs
•Irritability
•Tension
•Moodiness
•Alienation
•Dissatisfaction
15. Factors at work that create pressures
•Working under time pressures
•Too much or too little work
•Monotonous tasks
•Long working hours
•Poor communications systems
•Organizational change
•Lack of understanding of goals
•Lack of participation in decision making
•Lack of control
•inadequate or unsupportive supervision
•Poor relationships with co-workers
•Bullying, harassment and violence
•Job insecurity/pay
•Lack of recognition and feedback
•Unfair or unclear performance evaluation
•Workspace and environment
•Noise
•Temperature
•Lighting
•Conflicting demands of work and home
16. Organisational Symptoms of Stress
High absenteeism
High labour turnover
Industrial relations difficulties
Poor quality control
Accident rates high
Strikes
APATHY/PARALYSIS
Cooper &Marshall 1976
17. Philosophy of Stress Management-the
objectives
Prevention - control of hazards and exposure to hazards by design
and worker training
Timely reaction - management and group problem solving of
problems as they arise
Rehabilitation - enhanced support to help workers cope with and
recover from existing problems
18. Stress Management
Level Individual Organisation
Primary Reduce the risk factor or change To remove the hazard or reduce the
the stressor employees exposure
Secondary Alter the way in which Improve the ability to recognise
they respond to risks/stress and deal with stress issues as
they arise
Tertiary To heal those distressed To help employees cope with
by work and recover from work issues
19. Management responsibilities
Managers must ensure that the workplace is free as possible from
stressors and will contribute to positive mental health through good
management practice
The following factors can contribute to stress in the workplace:
Lack of awareness and understanding
Poor Environment
Structure of organisation
Job design
Work relationships
Management style
Communication systems
Work patterns
20. Managers should look out for
Poor performance at work
Uncharacteristic errors, memory lapses and indecisiveness
Withdrawal of interest for commitment
Aggressive behaviour
Immature or emotional behaviour
Fixation – repeating arguments, refusing to listen, insisting on
inadequate solutions
21. A simple management technique to
improve well being in the workplace
C ommunicate
H onest
O peness
S upport
T rust
22. Individual capability
Remember that:
Individual capability varies
A positive management style supports coping strategies
People and groups who may be at risk from stress may benefit from
learning coping skills
Coping skills involve
Appropriate assertiveness
Time management
Knowing when to ask for help
Avoiding blaming individuals or negative behaviour
Social support
Appropriate lifestyle ; exercise: sensible eating: relaxtion and
hobbies
Take responsibility for your own stress
23. How can I cope?
Defence mechanisms - denial, sublimation. Useful in short term
Identify personal strengths and weaknesses
Personal action plan- What are my strengths and weaknesses,
What needs changing, How can this be done, What resources will
be needed
Controlling tension
Support each other – no back stabbing
Realise that stress and mental health issues occur and can be
solved
Psychological “self talk”
Develop new coping strategies
24. Self Talk
I am good at my job
I can deal with this problem
I have coped with worse in the past
I made a mistake - I’ll learn from it
DO YOU USE WORDS THAT EXAGGERATE?
Terrible - inconvenient
Dreadful - annoying
Catastrophe - a nuisance
Changing your own personal attitudes, mannerisms and behaviour
will affect the way others respond to you
25. Reducing the pressures of management
Time management
Delegation not abdication
Planning skills
Priority setting
Being yourself
Creating stability zones
Creating trust in the workplace
Leading not managing
26. Anxiety States
Combinations of physical and mental manifestations of anxiety
occurring either in attacks or persisting states
Occur out of proportion to the external threat
Associated with poor concentration, derealisation,
depersonalisation, illogical thinking
Classified as Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Panic attacks or
Phobic Anxiety
Moderate - severe disruption to life and work
Prevalence of 6% with 2:1 female to male ratio
27. Treatment of anxiety states
Physical exercise
Relaxation and anxiety management
General Counselling
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Assertiveness training
Anti-anxiolytics
Antidepressants
Beta blockers
28. Depressive states
Divided into psychological and physical symptoms
Psychological - lowering of mood, low self esteem, pessimism, a
sense of despair, hopelessness, helplessness, irrational ideas and
thoughts of suicide
Physical - loss of drive and energy, impaired concentration,
appetite, sleep and sex drive.
Mood is variable and usually worse in morning
May be assoc. with delusions of guilt and psychosis
Affects 3% of men and 9% women and has a life time risk of 12%
men and 26% women
Social and work factors are of great importance in precipitating
attacks. NB ALCOHOL.
29. Treatment of depressive states
Cognitive therapy- helps to modify the negative assumptions,
expectations and rules that are adopted by the person
Counselling
Medication with antidepressants
Recognition
30. Support of an employee with a stress orSupport of an employee with a stress or
mental health problemmental health problem
Early recognition and prompt action is vital
Respect an individuals confidence
Ensure the environment is right for confidential conversations
Ensure confidential storage of records
Accept that in some cases the individual may not wish to divulge
information
Listen actively and assess any complaints
Encourage them to seek support
Support them through the bad patches / recognise them during the
good patches
REMEDY THE PROBLEM IF WORK RELATED
31. Return to work
Most people with mental health issues recover completely
Carefully consider shift patterns
Fitness for work is not “all or nothing”- rehabilitation plans may be
needed
The return to work is the start of the recovery process not the end
Maintain liaison on a regular basis
Mental health illnesses may be covered by the Equality Act 2010
(DDA) . This may force you to make reasonable adjustment to the
workplace and patterns of work
IT COULD BE YOU!!!!!
32. Assistance for employees
Referral can be formal or informal
Preferred route via the OHA
Support offered by OHA, Doctors,counsellor and GP
General information on mental health and well being available from
OHA
External support groups