HSE Management Standards and Stress Risk Assessment Hertfordshire County Council

‘There cannot be a stressful crisis next week. My schedule is already full.’ Henry Kissinger

What is Stress? The HSE define stress as: ‘ the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them’ Pressure: ‘which can give a sense of achievement, motivate and drive us’

National picture Work-related stress accounts for over a third of all new incidences of ill health. Each case of stress-related ill health leads to an average of 29 working days lost. A total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004/5. Stress costs UK industry £9.6 billion per year

Stress in Education ‘Stress is rooted in the way teaching and schools are organised’ (NUT) Stress is the most predominant cause of work related ill health within education with a incidence rate nearly twice the national average. (HSE Statistics 2005/6) 37% of calls to Teacher Support Network were citing stress / anxiety.

Ill health, leading to serious ill-health if not resolved. Poor relationships, professional and personal. Deterioration in productivity and job satisfaction. Impact on Individuals

To benefit your school As well as reducing sickness absence tackling stress can have a positive effect : Employee commitment to work Overall health and wellbeing Performance and productivity Retention and morale Continuity in the classroom Financial benefits Organisational image and reputation

‘..teachers, their well being and the support they receive undoubtedly impacts upon pupil and student wellbeing, student attainment and overall school performance’ Patrick Nash Chief Executive Teacher Support network

To comply with the law Employer: Health & Safety at Work Act a duty for their employees health, safety and welfare in relation to their employment duties Management of Health & Safety Regulations a duty to undertake Risk Assessments and introduce appropriate measures

HSE Management Standards for Work related Stress The Management Standards are designed to: Help simplify risk assessments for stress Encourage employers, employees to work in partnership to address work related stress Provide a benchmark organisations can use to gauge performance

HSE Management Standards for Work related Stress The HSE Management Standard areas are: *Demands *Control *Support - managerial and peer *Relationships *Role *Change

Demands Standard is that Employees indicate they are able to cope with the demands of their jobs; and Systems are in place locally to respond to individual concerns Level and nature of workload Work patterns & environment Priority setting and time pressures Excessive hours Repetitive work Unrealistic deadlines Ofsted inspections

Control Standard is that Employees indicate they are able to have a say about the way they do their work; and Systems are in place locally to respond to individual concerns How much say employees have in their work Political intervention Lack of career progression No potential for job satisfaction Inflexible schedules Long hours

Support Standard is that Employees indicate they receive adequate information and support from colleagues and superiors; and Systems are in place locally to respond to individual concerns Support: Encouragement, sponsorship & resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues. Training Leadership School philosophy /culture

Relationship Standard is that Employees indicate they are not subject to unacceptable behaviours e.g. bullying at work; and Systems are in place locally to respond to individual concerns Relationships: Promoting positive working to avoid conflict & dealing with unacceptable behaviour Staff and pupil behaviour Discipline Bullying

Role Standard is that Employees indicate they understand their role and responsibilities; and Systems are in place locally to respond to individual concerns Role: Whether people understand their role within the organisation & whether the organisation ensures that the person does not have conflicting roles Status issues Competing roles

Change Standard is that Employees indicate that the organisation engages them frequently when undergoing an organisational change; and Systems are in place locally to respond to individual concerns Change: How organisational change (large or small) is managed & communicated in the organisation Constant change Communication External demands / interventions

Overview - 5 steps to risk assessment Step 1 Identify hazards Step 2 Who may be harmed and how Step 3 Evaluate Risks Step 4 Develop Action plan Step 5 Monitor and review

Identifying hazards HSE Management Standard areas Demands Control Support - managerial and peer Relationships Role Change What information is already available ?

HSE Stress Survey A psychosocial questionnaire for staff HSE Indicator Tool 35 Questions Responses can then be compiled into HSE’s Analysis Tool The Analysis Tool provides an overview of the main areas of concern amongst staff group.

HSE Stress Survey Psychosocial questionnaire for staff I have unrealistic time pressures 22 I have to work very fast 20 I am pressured to work long hours 18 I am unable to take sufficient breaks 16 I have to neglect some tasks because I have too much to do 12 I have to work very intensively 9 I have unachievable deadlines 6 Different groups at work demand things from me that are hard to combine 3 Demands

HSE Analysis Tool 2.96 Overall 3.00 I have unrealistic time pressures I have to work very fast I am pressured to work long hours I am unable to take sufficient breaks I have to neglect some tasks because I have too much to do I have to work very intensively I have unachievable deadlines Different groups at work demand things from me that are hard to combine 3 Demands Average Question

HSE Indicator Tool Summary of Results Urgent action needed Represents those below the 20th percentile † Change Role Clear need for improvement Represents those likely to be below average but not below the 20th percentile Relationships Peer Support Managers' Support Good, but need for improvement Represents those better than average but not yet at, above or close to the 80th percentile† Control Demands Doing very well - need to maintain performance Represents those at, above or close to the 80th percentile† Key Your results Suggested Interim target Suggested Longer term target

Evaluate the risk and take action Are the areas identified as potential stressors correct? Involve staff to investigate the findings of the questionnaire “Real People Real Solutions” Create Action Plan Provide Feedback

Demands : are you doing enough? Monitoring team workload Allocated Sufficient resources Prioritising deadlines Provided sufficient training Communication Working proactively Work environment

Monitor and Review Monitor against your action plan to ensure the agreed actions are taking place. Evaluate the effectiveness of the solutions you implement. Consider other relevant data Follow-up surveys Long term commitment continuously working with employees to identify and address issues.

Actions to meet Duty of Care Obtain commitment Send survey to staff Complete analysis tool Involve staff in identifying solutions Create an Action plan Review

Alternative approaches “The national well being programme has been developed specifically for schools and is broadly equivalent to these management standards. Participation in the well being programme will enable schools to demonstrate they have met their duty of care under H&S legislation” (HSE)

Doing nothing is not an option work related stress is preventable. Actions need to be proactive simply providing staff with access to a counsellor or having a stress policy is not enough. HSE are tackling stress in education as a priority, they would seek evidence of a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for work related stress. Positive results benefit both individuals and the organisation. Summary

‘Stress is not a weakness’ (UK National Health Service) ‘Work related stress is a symptom of an organisational problem, not an individual weakness’