Tackling work-related Stress

1. Tackling work-related Stress Steve Lee Senior Occupational Psychologist, HSE Stress Priority Programme Team

2. The Next 30 Minutes • The Health and Safety Commission’s Approach • Expectations and Existing Guidance • Management Standards

3. What is stress? • A natural reaction to excessive pressure; • When perceived demands exceed the individual’s ability to cope; • It is not a disease but if excessive/prolonged can lead to mental and physical ill health; • There is no such thing as positive stress (only positive pressure), stress is always negative; • Stress is not a recognised medical condition HSE Definition:- “Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them.”

4. Why tackle work-related stress? 1 in 5 people find work either very or extremely stressful 13.4 million working days lost in 2001 due to stress, depression and anxiety (SWI01/02) Stress costs the UK economy £3.7-3.8 billion per annum (HSE estimate – 1995/96 prices) Teachers and nurses have the highest prevalence rates of work-related stress (SWI01/02 & Bristol SHAW Study 1998)

5. Working within HSC’s strategy • Sensible management of risk • Offering advice and support • Targeting resources on the biggest risks • Communicating the strategy effectively

6. Where will this take us? • Towards self-regulating businesses who invest in health and safety as an marker of positive organisational performance • Towards a workplace culture where the business, moral and ethical cases for health and safety is recognised and accepted

7. Stress Grand Plan • Develop standards of good management practice for a range of stressors (D, C, S, R, R, C) • Better equip enforcement officers to be able to handle the issue routinely • Encourage a more comprehensive approach • Tell people what they can already do

8. Legal Expectations • The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (1974) • places a general duty on employers to protect the health of their employees. • The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999). • place a duty on employers to risk assess for health and safety risks, including risks to mental health.

9. HSC/E’s Expectations We expect employers to: • Implement the guidance • Undertake the 5 Steps of Risk Assessment • Consult with Safety Reps and their Workforce

10. Existing help and support

11. Existing Help and Support • Tackling work-related stress – a manager’s guide: offers practical advice on identifying the nature and scale of stress in the workplace and how to deal with it. • Real Solutions, Real People: helps managers work with their employees to identify locally applicable solutions to work-related stress. • Both documents are available from HSE books (T: 01787 881165, W: www.hsebooks.co.uk) at a total cost of £25.00.

12. Why Management Standards? • Stress is a unique problem • Guidance preferred to regulatory approach • Poor work design leads to ill health • How to measure current state?

13. Management Standards Development • The development process included a pilot study (Autumn 2003) and a public consultation exercise (Summer 2004) • HSE’s partners on stress said that the standards should be: • Based on evidence • Practical and easy to use • Applicable across the board • About problems and their solutions • Flexible and adaptable • Supported by a business case

14. How Can We Measure Our Performance? • Along with its Stress Partners, HSE has developed a suite of Management Standards • The Standards provide a yardstick against which to measure performance in tackling the causes of work-related stress • They are supported by indicator tools

15. The Management Standards (1) • Demands: e.g. workload, deadlines, work scheduling, physical environment • Control: e.g. decision authority, autonomy, pacing, interruptions • Support: organisational, managerial colleagues; practical and emotional

16. The Management Standards (2) • Relationships: e.g. interpersonal conflict, bullying and harassment • Role: e.g. ambiguity, conflict, image, responsibility • Change: e.g. new ways of working, new technology, change strategies, consultation and involvement

17. Where to start • The Management Standards for work-related stress were launched on 3 November 2004 • The Standards help organisations to undertake a 5 step risk assessment on work-related stress • The Standards combine with HSE’s existing guidance: • Real solutions, real people; and • Tackling work-related stress: a managers’ guide • To form the Management Standards Approach • Step by step guidance on the approach is available free on HSE’s website at www.hse.gov.uk/stress

18. The Management Standards Approach • The approach is not about eliminating stress entirely -it encourages organisations to take pragmatic steps towards improving their workplaces • The Management Standards approach is targeted principally at medium to large employers • Employee engagement is critical to the success of the Management Standards approach • Consultation with the workforce and their representatives is the key to developing effective solutions • The approach is based on the best available evidence and is broadly supported by the academic community

19. The Management Standards- Outline • The Management Standards look at six areas of work: Demands, Control, Support, Relationships, Role and Change • Each area contains simple statements that describe what would be happening in an organisation achieving the Standards • The Standards help organisations to prioritise areas of highest risk. • The standards are about using good management practice to prevent work-related stress. • The Standards are not designed to tackle individual responses or stress outside the workplace

20. The Management Standards- Process • Gaining organisational buy in: senior managers, trades unions, line managers and staff • An initial indicator tool survey across the workforce • Follow up focus groups to verify the results of the indicator tool and develop solutions • Implementation/intervention phase • Review and results • The aim is to shift the UK workforce from an undesirable state to a desirable one

21. Setting achieveable goals The current UK picture as reported by employees in the OMNIBUS Survey (ONS) in February/March 2004 Top 20%

22. Achieving success Organisations are encouraged to move towards the reported success of the top twenty percent of employers as reported by their employees (2004) Top 20%

23. The Management Standards- Next steps • Wider implementation – a logical approach • Targeting resources to support key sectors • Providing information and guidance to all employers

24. Coming up… • New guidance for SMEs – a revised Work Positive pack developed in association with NHS Health Scotland • Other paper based guidance on the Standards to complement the on-line guidance now available • Upgraded online analysis tools • Proactive support and guidance from HSE and partners, including in the Education sector

25. Any questions? www.hse.gov.uk/stress steve.lee@hse.gsi.gov.uk Steve Lee, Senior Occupational Psychologist, HSE Stress Priority Programme Team