2. What is Stress?
UK HSE: “… the process that arises where
work demands of various types and
combinations exceed the person’s capacity
and capability to cope”
Colligan and Higgins (2005): “… the change
in one’s physical or mental state in response to
workplaces that pose an appraised challenge or
threat to that employee”
3. What is Stress?
The HSE state: All employers have legal
responsibility under the Health and Safety at
Work Act 1974 and Management of Health and
Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to ensure the
health safety and welfare at work of their
employees. This includes minimising the risk of
stress-related illness or injury to employees.
4. HSE Working Days Lost to Stress
2010/2011
Age group & gender Estimated days
lost
(thousands)
Average
Males 4866
16 - 34 986
35 - 44 1312
45 - 54 1778
55+ 790
Females 5922
16 - 34 1482
35 - 44 1312
45 - 54 1974
55+ 1154
All Persons 10788
16 - 34 2468
35 - 44 2624
45 - 54 3753
55+ 1943
Organisation
Size
Days Lost per
Person
Large 0.57
Medium 0.54
Small 0.3
“The average days lost per
case for stress, depression
or anxiety 27 days… “
7. Small Force Cost of Stress
Annual Working Days 223
Number of Staff 1900
Total Number of Sickness
Days 12000 Sickness Days per Staff Member 6.32
Percentage to Stress 0.45
Days Lost to Stress 5400 Stress Sickness Days per Staff Member 2.84
Salary £30,000.00
Daily Rate £134.53
Cost of Sickness £1,614,349.78 Cost of Sickness Days per Staff Member £849.66
Cost of Stress
Absence £726,457.40
Cost of Stress Absence Days per Staff
Member £382.35
Organisation
Size
Days Lost per
Person
Small 0.3
8. Force Department Cost of Stress
Annual Working Days 223
Number of Staff 1060
Total Number of Sickness
Days 12000 Sickness Days per Staff Member 11.32
Percentage to Stress 0.3
Days Lost to Stress 3600 Stress Sickness Days per Staff Member 3.40
Salary £34,228.00
Daily Rate £153.49
Cost of Sickness £1,841,865.47 Cost of Sickness Days per Staff Member £1,737.61
Cost of Stress
Absence £552,559.64
Cost of Stress Absence Days per Staff
Member £521.28
Organisation
Size
Days Lost per
Person
Large 0.57
9. – Whilst absent work is not done
– Overtime needed to cover absence
– Other staff working harder to cover absence
• More stress induced by covering absence
• Likely to lead to stress related sickness
– Rotten Apple Syndrome
• Person A goes sick – others follow
• Person B stressed and “grumpy” – affects team performance
– Possible Employment Tribunal
Force Cost of Stress
Absence £726,457.40 Cost of Stress Absence Days per Staff Member £382.35
Departmental Cost of
Stress Absence £552,559.64 Cost of Stress Absence Days per Staff Member £521.28
Non Visible Costs
10. Stress Related Employment Tribunals
• Walker v Northumberland County Council, (1995)
• Hatton v Sutherland (2002)
• Barber v Somerset County Council (HOL 2004)
• Hiles v South Gloucestershire NHS Primary Care
Trust (2007)
• Daw v Intel
• Corporation UK Ltd (Court of Appeal 2007) 2 AER
126
• Dickens v O2 [Court of Appeal 2008]
11. Tribunal Awards
“… bosses struggling to cope with soaring compensation bills.
Firms paid out £321million for stress, ill health and injury last year.
The number of cases claiming stress rocketed twelvefold to more
than 6,000.”
“According to TUC figures, last year 51,204 members of staff won an
average of £6,269 each. Claims which specifically cited stress totalled
6,428 - a twelvefold increase on the 2000 tally of 516.”
Daily Mail 6th September 2013 : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-98737/Judges-clamp-big-stress-payouts.html
12. Benefits
• What you do not measure you do not control
• What you do not control you do not improve
• Create of “Norms” to benchmark against
– Force, Areas, Departments, Factories / Sites
• Alleviate Tribunal Claims
• Clearly demonstrate Duty of Care
13. Identification of Stressful Activities
Role 1
Role 2
Role n
.
.
.
.
SDCS1
SDCS2
SDCSn
Stress Driver
Cause/Symptom
Implicate Activity/Cause
Activity
Person
(Type)
Identification
Process
Improvement
Reduction
in
Absence
22. Session Programme
• Deliver, train personnel, complete admin
• Personnel wear the device
• Collect the devices and activity lists at the end
of the agreed time, collate lists, sanitise belts
• Extract, clean and annotate files
• Create vocabulary
• Create / refine analytics
• Analyse data and prepare the Report
23. Results - Stress in the Work Place
UK Police Motorcyclists
Officer No. Activity Mins in Training Zone Time of Day
5 General Patrol 23 0333 hours to 0356 hours
5 Incident 11 0400 hours to 0411 hours
5 General Patrol 96 0413 hours to 0549 hours
9 Office Duties 30 0719 hours to 0749 hours
1 Office Duties 43 1158 hours to 1241 hours
1 General Patrol 18 1249 hours to 1307 hours
24. Stress in the Work Place
Officer Number 9
Office Work Office Work Office Work
Making Coffee Formal Rest Break
27. Possible Implementation
Application of Business Improvement Programme
Interim Measurement
To Demonstrate Progress
Current
working
Practices
Measure
Current
Stress Levels
Prior to Instigating
Change
Current
working
Practices
Measure
Current
Stress Levels
Post Change
Analysis
Measuring Continuous Improvement
28. Northamptonshire Police Scientific
Support
"…Now, for the first time, with the assistance of A-E
Solutions, we have been able to quantify this stress and to
identify accurately situations that cause our staff to
become stressed and the extent to which this is occurring.
…we have been able to measure stress levels in our
Fingerprint Experts and this information is extremely
valuable in assessing the situations that not only cause
them stress but also that might affect their ability to
correctly identify finger marks …".
Dr John Bond
