Reducing workplace stress
10/02/2009, Author: Alison France
On Friday, Personnel Today reported that from a survey of 121 employers 101 are actively tackling workplace stress.
Great news!
But are these interventions having any effect?
Although 33% of employers said they had achieved a measurable improvement on the overall level of absence from work, the majority of employers were uncertain about how successful their efforts had been.
So are employers currently using the best strategies to tackle workplace stress?
The HSE management standards model illustrates how the most successful organisational interventions are focused on one or more of the following 6 factors:
• Demands - Includes issues like workload, work patterns, and the work environment
• Control - How much say the person has in the way they do their work
• Support - Includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues
• Relationship - Includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour
• Role -Whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that the person does not have conflicting roles
• Change - How organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation
According to the Personnel Today survey however, 98% of employers are focusing on return to work interviews. These interviews may have some impact on increasing support; however they may also reduce this depending on how they are carried out!
There were also lots of references to referrals to outside organisations (e.g. counselling 62%, employee assistance programmes 49%, GP’s 40% and specialist health practitioners 39%). Whilst these have their place, ideally the organisation themselves should also take action.
On a positive note, 68% of employers provided training around stress, to help line managers support their team members and/or help individuals to improve stress levels and key skills such as time and conflict management. These interventions should definitely work to improve both support levels and relationships.
How do you prioritise interventions in your organisation?
The HSE standards also state that the most successful interventions to reduce workplace stress start with an analysis of the levels and sources of stress within the workplace. Unfortunately, no such audits were mentioned in the article.
Conclusions
So congratulations to organisations for taking action on stress but if you want to improve the effectiveness of these interventions, here are 3 key actions you can take;
• Audit your organisation
• Design interventions based on the audit results
• Measure the impact of your interventions and review
To see the full Personnel Today article click on the link below:
www.personneltoday.com/articles/2009/02/06/49258/employers-aim-to-reduce-workplace-stress.html
For more advice see the HSE good practice guidelines at www.hse.gov.uk/stress/experience.htm or get in touch (alison@criterionpartnership.co.uk or 01273 691199)
If you find this post offensive please contact us
Comments
No Comments
You must be logged in to leave comments. You can register here».
