The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has produced a booklet with updated advice on stress at work and the influence that management behaviour has on such matters. It is aimed at managers and human resources (HR) personnel.
The booklet addresses the following:
A sample 'stress indicator framework' is also provided, and this can be incorporated into a company's stress management processes.
The key points are outlined below:
What is stress?
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines stress as an adverse reaction to excessive pressures or demands. The booklet makes a clear distinction between pressure, which can have a motivational effect, and stress, which is what tends to happen when that pressure becomes excessive.
The problem of stress at work
The following give an example of why work-related stress at work needs to be tackled:
What is being done?
The HSE has published national Management Standards for work-related stress. These give employers guidance on best practice, and have been designed to help simplify stress risk assessments, promote partnership working on stress-related issues and provide a basis by which organisations can assess their performance in addressing the causes of stress. They are also intended to contribute to a reduction in stress-related ill-health and sickness absence.
The significance of line management
Although the Management Standards are health and safety driven, it is line managers and HR professionals who are likely to be responsible for implementing them at work. To do this effectively, they will need to understand what stress is and what skills are needed to manage employees in a manner that keeps stress to a minimum.
The influence that managers can have on stress is well known. Indeed, a recent absence management survey carried out by the CIPD revealed that management style was one of the top three causes. Managers can contribute to stress in a number ways, eg through unsuitable behaviour to employees, but they can also have a positive influence, namely by:
What line managers need to do to prevent stress
A team of occupational therapists, with the support of the CIPD, HSE and Investors in People, undertook research into what types of behaviours managers need to be able to demonstrate in order to prevent and mitigate stress.
The findings of this research are incorporated into the document's stress indicator framework, but suffice to say that the following virtues were found to be important in minimising stress:
Manager development
The booklet makes the point that many of the competencies listed in the stress indicator framework could be classed as general management skills. Even so, it is probable that they may not have been assessed and developed to management level within an organisation. The revised advice and indicator framework are intended as a tool for helping managers to become more effective stress managers.
The following are listed as being central to the development of an effective programme for managers in this respect:
The booklet can be downloaded at /www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/health/stress/stress.htm
Mentor can also advise you on workplace stress. Please the Advice Service for more information.