Having an awareness of the negative effects of stress on the workplace will increase attendance and increase productivity. http://pohc.co.uk

1. Managing stress and employee
wellbeing
Craig Page RGN.OHND.

2. Why does it matter?Why does it matter?

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