McCallum Safety & Health Stress or Pressure? A guide for management Roberta Hanlon

McCallum Safety & Health The student will be able to: Define what Stress is. Recognise the differences between stress and pressure. Recognise the signs and symptoms of stress in the individual. Feel confident in your ability to help create a stress free work environment.

McCallum Safety & Health What Are Your Individual Learning Needs?

McCallum Safety & Health The scale of the problem. Health and Safety Executive. N.I. figures for 2003, state 1 in 5 of the working population suffer from high or extremely high levels of stress. (16,000 in N.I) Average 29 working days per person lost. (£83,000,000 per annum)

McCallum Safety & Health The scale: continued The Shaw Trust, estimate that UK employers lose £9bn annually because of mental health problems at work. In Sept 2006, the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health reported 1 in 4 people in the UK develop mental health problems each year.

McCallum Safety & Health Who can be affected by stress? The individual. The Workforce. The Management group. The Organisation.

McCallum Safety & Health The individual. Stress affecting health may impact on the individuals work and also extend into family and social life.

McCallum Safety & Health The Workforce. A stressful environment can be created through poor communication, rumours, poor working condition or practice. This could lead to a reduction in morale and collective anxiety.

McCallum Safety & Health The Management group. More stress in the workplace may lead to more work and responsibility being placed directly on the management group.

McCallum Safety & Health The Organisation. The organisation may lose profits, business continuity and credibility. A history of stress in the workplace is bad publicity. It is ultimately the individual who suffers health problems from stress but failing to recognise it and act upon it affects the whole organisation.

McCallum Safety & Health Who is at risk? Everyone!!! There is no way of predicting whether an individual will develop a mental health problem and of those who do, the majority make a complete recovery.

McCallum Safety & Health The Law Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order Section 2: General duties of employers… “It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure as far as is reasonably practical, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees”.

McCallum Safety & Health The Law (contd.) Section 2: General duties of employees… “It shall be the duty of every employee whilst at work to take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work”.

McCallum Safety & Health The Law (contd.) Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (N.I.) “Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work, and……

McCallum Safety & Health The Law (contd.) The risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with conduct by him and his undertaking”.

McCallum Safety & Health The Law (contd.)  Mental health and Employment in the NHS (2002)  Management Standards for Stress Risk Assessment at work

McCallum Safety & Health What is Stress? The health and Safety Executive defines Stress as…....“the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them”.

McCallum Safety & Health What is Pressure? A part of every day life. Motivation to get a job completed. A realistic deadline that keeps the job challenging.

McCallum Safety & Health How do we tell the difference? Too much/not enough work to handle in a day No control over working day, Getting bullied at work, Don’t feel valued, feel constantly undermined …. Build up of pressures = stress.

McCallum Safety & Health How does our body react to stress? “Fight or flight response”. Body reacts to threat, real/perceived. Adrenal glands produce more adrenalin Lungs work faster Heart beats faster Blood supply is centred to organs/muscles Liver releases glucose for energy

McCallum Safety & Health So what? It’s a normal response which benefits us when we need to react to danger. Only does harm if it’s a prolonged reaction. Problems occur when we do not relax and body does not return to normal state.

McCallum Safety & Health Early warning signs. Difficulty swallowing Palpitations Disturbed sleep Hyperventilation Headaches Bad Temper Dizziness Lack of concentration

McCallum Safety & Health Long term ill effects of stress High blood pressure Chest pain Depression Ulcers Anxiety Panic attacks Exacerbation/Asthma Skin problems

McCallum Safety & Health Main causes of stress. Could be a cumulative effect of a number of things…… Personal Health Relationships Work

McCallum Safety & Health Examples of mental health issues in the work place Stress – (work-related, personal/family/mixed) Anxiety Depression Drug & Alcohol Abuse Bullying & Harassment in the workplace Violence at work Discrimination – sex, age, race Industrial disputes

McCallum Safety & Health Other MH conditions which may affect fitness for work Schizophrenia, Psychosis, /mania and hypomania, Manic depression, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders. Personality disorders Chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia

McCallum Safety & Health The effects on organisations Poor-time keeping and increased sickness absence. Costs of replacing experienced staff Reduced productivity and performance Disruption to business Low staff morale Additional pressure on existing staff Loss of motivation

McCallum Safety & Health How to tackle it in the workplace. The first step is to get commitment and participation from across your organisation, in particular: from senior management, ideally at board level; from line managers, employees and employee representatives.

McCallum Safety & Health How to tackle it (contd). Concentrate on individuals. Risk analysis. Stress prevention strategy.

McCallum Safety & Health The DOH recommendations :- Employers develop policies on MH in the workplace such as:- Stress recognition and management, Health and wellbeing, Alcohol and drugs rehabilitation, Review sickness absence figures/areas

McCallum Safety & Health The DOH recommends contd… Reduced hrs Altered or adjusted duties e.g. manual handling. Transfer to another area of work if a vacancy exists. Flexible hours/duties Avoidance of shift work

McCallum Safety & Health However…. Managers should be aware of their limitations in mental health assessment. Early referral to Occupational Health for assessment is beneficial.

McCallum Safety & Health Why bother? It’s ethical. It makes economical sense. It’s a legal requirement.

McCallum Safety & Health How do you start? H.S.E. recommends a five step approach to risk assessment… 1.Look for the hazards 2.Decide who might be harmed and how 3.Evaluate the risk and decide what needs to be done. 4.Record your findings 5.Monitor and review.

McCallum Safety & Health Suitable & Sufficient Risk Assessment should- Identify the significant risks & ignore the trivial ones Identify and prioritise measures required to comply with legislation Remain appropriate to the nature of the work & valid over a period of time

McCallum Safety & Health Benefits of tackling the problem. Increased productivity Improved decisions Improved loyalty Better sickness record Fewer accidents Increased creativity Job satisfaction Less turnover of staff

McCallum Safety & Health New No Smoking Legislation

McCallum Safety & Health New No Smoking Legislation

McCallum Safety & Health Work Overload

McCallum Safety & Health