09 June 2008
Lawrence Bamber

Element B9 of the NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health is titled Psycho-social Agents, and the expected outcome of sub-element B9.1 is that candidates should be able to "outline the effects of work-
related stress on individuals, its identification, control and the applicable legal and other standards."

Sub-element B9.1 requires knowledge of how to:

• identify stress by outlining the ill-health effects associated with work-related stress
• describe the causes of stress: organisational factors; personal relationships, including bullying and harassment; physical factors in the workplace; and the impact of working hours
• outline the legal obligations and case law related to stress
• outline how to recognise the problem - that is, signs of stress at work
• describe the control actions designed to reduce workplace stress (organisational culture and management, management of change, clarity of roles, job design, staff selection, work schedules and relationships at work) with reference to the HSE stress management standards.

This article looks at the causes and control of work-related stress in the workplace. The next in the series, due in the September issue of HSW, will review stress case law.

Beyond a buzz

Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health, poor productivity and human error. It can result in sickness absence,  poor individual performance and a possible increase in injuries.

It's defined as the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other demands on them. There is a clear distinction between pressure, which can create a buzz and be a positive motivating factor, and stress, which can occur when this pressure becomes excessive.

The following figures give an indication of the size of the problem.

• In 2005-2006, just under 500,000 people in Great Britain reported that they had experienced work-related stress at a level that they believed was making them ill.
• Depression and anxiety are the most common stress-related complaints seen by GPs, affecting 20% of the UK's working population.
• When work-related stress leads to absence, the average length of sick leave is 30.1 days (Labour Force Survey, 2005-2006). This average is much higher than the average length of sick leave for work-related illness in general (21.2 days).
• Almost 11 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2005-2006.
• HSE research in 2003 into offshore work found that approximately 70% of common  work-related stresses are also potential root causes of injuries.

In 2001, the HSE introduced the management standards approach to stress risk assessment which was designed to help all concerned manage the issue sensibly, and to minimise the impact of work-related stress on organisations.

The 2nd edition of the management standards publication (see reference at the end of this article) describes a set of conditions that promote high levels of health, wellbeing and organisational performance. Following the advice in the publication should enable organisations to identify the gap between what is happening in the workplace and these ideal conditions. It should also help employers to develop controls to bridge the gap.

The HSE's overall aim is to reduce the number of employees who go off sick (absenteeism) or who cannot perform well at work because of stress (presenteeism). It expects employers to work with their employees to implement these management standards by continually improving the way their organisations manage workplace pressures and demands. This will have business, economic, legal and moral/ethical benefits.

The management standards approach gives managers help in reducing work-related stress. It also sets out best-practice risk assessment techniques, allows evaluation of the current situation in any workplace using surveys and other techniques, and promotes active discussion with employees to decide on practical, workable improvements.

Standard stuff

The management standards define the characteristics or culture of an organisation where the risks from work-related stress are being effectively controlled and managed.

They detail six key areas of work design that, if not properly managed, are associated with poor health and wellbeing, lower productivity, and increased sickness absence; that is, they cover the primary causes of stress at work.
These are:

• demands - this includes issues such as workload, work patterns and the working environment
• control - how much say the person has in the way they do their work
• support - the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and work colleagues
• relationships - including promoting positive working so as to avoid conflict, and dealing with unacceptable behaviour
• role - how far people understand their place in, and contribution to, the organisation, and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles
• change - how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated throughout the organisation.

As employers have a duty to ensure that risks arising from work activities are properly controlled, the management standards approach helps simplify risk assessment for work-related stress by identifying the main risk factors, helping employers focus on the underlying causes of stress and their prevention and providing a step-by-step approach to assessment.

It encourages employers and employees to work together to address potential stressors and provides a yardstick by which organisations can gauge their performance in managing the key causes of stress.

In each of the standards, the "What should be happening/states to be achieved" section defines a desirable set of conditions for organisations to work towards. The standards are set out in detail below.

Not optional

The requirement under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations for employers to assess risks to health and safety from any workplace hazard includes the risk of employees developing stress-related illness in the course of their employment.

The purpose of any risk assessment is to find out whether existing controls to prevent harm are sufficient or if more should be done to further reduce the risk. Employers should identify hazards, such as known stress risk factors, and related risks, and use control measures as necessary.

A risk assessment for work-related stress involves the same basic principles - the five-steps approach - as any risk assessment for physical and chemical hazards.

But the five-step approach is embellished by incorporating the management standards into the stress risk assessment, as follows.

• Identify the stress risk factors - understand the management standards.
• Decide who might be harmed and how - gather data.
• Evaluate the risk - explore problems and develop solutions.
• Record the findings - develop and implement action plans.
• Monitor and review - assess effectiveness of action plans.

It typically takes organisations up to 18 months for one complete cycle of the management standards risk assessment approach. This includes up to six months to do the initial risk assessment and implement the resulting action plans, and a further 12 to allow the agreed solutions time to show results.

The aim should be to achieve continuous improvement by embedding and
integrating the stress management standards into everyday management practices, and to adapt them to the particular needs of the organisation.

This is the key element in any stress risk assessment, as without adequate preparation, the whole process is doomed to failure which, in itself, could be highly stressful!

This preparatory work is central to the management standards approach; and it should involve an introduction to each step of the risk assessment process, particularly if it is to last some time and/or involves a lot of staff.

It also needs to be maintained over time, given the medium-term commitment required by some of the actions necessary to manage the potential causes of work-related stress.

To thoroughly prepare any organisation for stress risk assessment and control, it is vitally important that the following are in place:

• management commitment at all levels
• employee commitment, including cooperation of safety representatives
• a trained steering group
• a project plan with agreed target dates and responsibilities
• adequate resources in time, money, people
• a communications/employee engagement strategy.

Failure to plan is planning to fail, which may well mean that the stress management process fails to deliver those measurable improvements in the health and wellbeing of the workforce that will benefit the whole organisation in terms of better morale, productivity and work/life balance.

 

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The stress management standards

1. Demands

• Employees indicate that they are able to cope with the demands of their jobs.
• Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns.

What should be happening/states to be achieved:

• the organisation provides employees with adequate and achievable demands in relation to the agreed hours of work
• people's skills and abilities are matched to the job demands
• jobs are designed to be within the capabilities of the employees
• employees' concerns about their working environment are addressed.

2. Control

• Employees indicate that they are able to have a say about the way they do their work.
• Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns.

What should be happing/states to be achieved:

• where possible, employees should have control over their pace of work
• employees are encouraged to use their skills and initiative to do their work
• where possible, employees are encouraged to develop new skills to help them undertake new and challenging pieces of work
• the organisation encourages employees to develop their skills
• employees have a say over when breaks can be taken
• employees are consulted over their work patterns.

3. Support

• Employees indicate that they receive adequate information and support from their colleagues and supervisors.
• Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns.

What should be happening/states to be achieved:

• the organisation has policies and procedures to adequately support employees
• systems are in place to enable and encourage managers to support their staff
• systems are in place to enable and encourage employees to support their colleagues
• employees know what support (such as counselling) is available and how and when to access it
• employees know how to access the required resources (time, money, people, equipment) to do their job
• employees receive regular and constructive feedback.

4. Relationships

• Employees indicate that they are not subjected to unacceptable behaviours in the workplace, such as bullying, harassment.
• Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns.

What should be happening/states to be achieved:

• the organisation promotes positive behaviours at work to avoid conflict and ensure fairness
• employees share information relevant to their work
• the organisation has agreed policies and procedures to prevent or resolve unacceptable behaviours
• systems are in place to enable and encourage managers to deal with unacceptable behaviours
• systems are in place to enable and encourage employees to report unacceptable behaviours without any fear of recrimination.

5. Role

• Employees indicate that they understand their role and responsibilities.
• Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns.

What should be happening/states to be achieved:

• the organisation ensures that, as far as possible, the different requirements it places upon employees are compatible
• the organisation provides information to enable employees to understand their role and responsibilities
• the organisation ensures that, as far as possible, the requirements it places upon employees are clear
• systems are in place to enable employees to raise concerns about any uncertainties or conflicts they have with their role and responsibilities.

6. Change

• Employees indicate that the organisation engages them frequently when undergoing any organisational changes.
• Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns.

What should be happening/states to be achieved:

• the organisation provides employees with timely information to enable them to understand the reasoning behind proposed changes
• the organisation ensures adequate employee consultation on changes and provides opportunities for employees to influence proposals
• employees are aware of the probable impact of any changes to their jobs; if necessary, employees should be  trained to support any changes to their jobs
• employees are made aware of the timetables for changes
• employees have easy access to support during any change process.

 

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For further information on the management standards, the best source is the 2nd edition of the HSE publication HSG 218, Managing the Causes of Work-related Stress: a Step-by-step Approach using the Management Standards (www.hsebooks.com), priced £10.95.

An article on what can go wrong in stress management programmes is available here.

This article was prepared on behalf of the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) by Lawrence Bamber, BSc, DIS, CFIOSH, FIRM, MASSE

Categories:
Qualifications, Stress/bullying, Training, Article, Training