In-house training course to help managers at a civil engineering business reduce the stress levels of employees and spot the warning signs.

1. Effectively dealing with stress by Fluid August 2010

2. Page 2 Contents 3-4 Introduction to Fluid 5-6 Definition 7-8 The legal position 9-10 Relevant cases 11-12 Management competencies 13-14 Impact of managers’ behaviour 15-16 Impact of stress on individual employees 17-20 Burning people out 21-22 Staying calm 23-24 Preventing stress 25-26 Stress and sickness absence 27-28 Other costs of stress 29-30 Exercise A 31-32 Stress and external stakeholders 33-35 Types of intervention for managing stress 36-37 Five steps to risk assessment-HSE 38-39 Persuading the organisation to take action 40-41 Measures employers use to combat stress 42-43 Monitoring and measuring stress levels 44-45 Factors that encouraged employers to implement a stress reduction strategy 46-47 Exercise B 48-49 Conclusion and questions

3. Page 3 Introduction

5. Selection- Attraction - Remuneration & Reward - Outplacement - Training & HR consultancy

6. Page 5 Definition

9. Disability Discrimination Act

12. Deadman v Bristol City CouncilRelevant cases

13. Page 11 Management competencies

15. Managing and communicating existing and future work

16. Reasoning/managing difficult situations

19. Control

20. Support

21. Relationship

22. Role

23. ChangeImpact of managers’ behaviour

24. Page 15 Impact of stress on individual employees

26. Impact of stress on mental health and state of mind

27. Impact of stress on engagement/motivation/commitmentImpact of stress on individual employees

28. Page 17 Burning people out

29. Page 18 “Hey, Sarah, we’re having a bad year, so if you want any kind of bonus at all, you’re going to have to grin and bear it to just work harder than ever before. Sorry, I know it’s tough, but that’s just the reality.” Burning people out 1 of 3

30. Page 19 “Hey, Sarah, I know that there’s a lot of pressure on you now, on all of us, really, and I want to make sure you’re getting it all done. Let me know how I can help.” Burning people out 2 of 3

31. Page 20 “Hey, Sarah, I know that there’s a lot of pressure on you now, on all of us, really, and I want to make sure you’re taking care of all the things that are important to you – not only at work but in other areas of your life, too – so that you don’t burn out. What small changes could you try here that would make things easier, so you’d have more energy to focus on performing well for our business? We desperately need your best efforts!” Burning people out 3 of 3

32. Page 21 Staying calm

34. Map the anxiety in your situation

35. Correct overfunctioning and underfunctioning relationshipsStaying calm

36. Page 23 Preventing stress

37. Page 24 Carefully assess different job roles to identify the skills and competencies required Use personality assessment as a part of your recruitment strategy to ensure a good match between people and job roles Remember that people respond in different ways under pressure Give people control over their workload and a high level of autonomy to buffer the negative effects of stress Understand your employees’ individual needs and responses in times of stress Manage your own stress levels Use teambuilding to create a supportive work environment that will help people manage the effects of stress. Preventing stress

38. Page 25 Stress and sickness absence

40. Ill-health indirectly due to stress or exacerbated by stress

41. Sickness absence as a way with coping with stressful work situations

42. Sickness absence due to poor engagement/motivation/commitmentStress and sickness absence

43. Page 27 Other costs of stress

45. Stress can lead to workplace conflict

46. Stress can lead to poor employee relations and disputes

47. Absence of stress management or high stress levels may lead to increased insurance premiums Other costs of stress

48. Page 29 Exercise A

49. Page 30 Exercise A

50. Page 31 Stress and external stakeholders

52. Employer brand, retention and recruitment

53. Investor relationsStress and external stakeholders

54. Page 33 Types of intervention for managing stress

56. Secondary interventions

57. Tertiary interventions

58. Organisational interventions

59. Manager or team-level interventions

60. Individual interventionsTypes of intervention for managing stress (1 of 2)

62. Training for managers on how to manage stress in their staff

63. Stress risk assessments at team or individual level

64. Learning & development interventions for individuals on stress management/coping/resilience

65. Counselling

66. Return to work/rehabilitationTypes of intervention for managing stress (2 of 2)

67. Page 36 Five steps to risk assessment-HSE

69. Decide who might be harmed and why

70. Evaluate the risks

71. Record the findings

72. Monitor and reviewFive steps to risk assessment-HSE

73. Page 38 Persuading the organisation to take action

75. Generate data and proposals

76. Communicate using appropriate channels

77. Maintain ongoing buy-inPersuading the organisation to take action

78. Page 40 Measures employers use to combat stress

79. Page 41 Counselling and employee assistance programmes Policies on bullying/harassment Flexible working/work life balance policies Workshops/training for managers Workshops/training for employees Massages Cognitive behaviour therapy Media Job swapping/matching Measures employers use to combat stress

80. Page 42 Monitoring and managing stress levels

82. Symptoms and costs of chronic stress

83. Making lifestyle changes Monitoring and managing stress levels

84. Page 44 Factors that encouraged implementation of a stress reduction strategy

85. Page 45 Factors that encouraged implementation of a stress reduction strategy Current economic climate Concern for staff wellbeing Fear of legal claims by employees High sickness absence figures Concerns over productivity Fear of H&SE improvement order Time of business change High staff turnover At staff request

86. Page 46 Exercise B-Case studies

87. Page 47 Exercise B

88. Page 48 Conclusion & Questions

89. Page 49 Conclusion Summary Questions