Work-related stress and resulting sickness absence costs the UK economy about £3.7 billion every year (HSE research). In this jargon-free guide, Jeremy Stranks explains what stress is and what causes it, how people respond to stress and cope with it, how stress can be evaluated and managed and what employers’ legal responsibilities are.
Written for managers, HR professionals and safety reps, the emphasis of this book is strongly on practical advice and solutions. The author provides simple tools to measure and assess stress and shows how to deal with a range of stress-creating workplace situations, such as bullying, harassment and violence at work. The book also details how to implement a stress management system that complies with the new HSE Management Standards to avoid civil claims and criminal sanctions by the enforcement agencies.
End of chapter key points draw out the implications of the preceding text for the employer and an executive summary shows the main aspects that senior management have to be aware of. In addition, the book contains forms and templates to help with managing stress. These are also available for download on the companion website.
Stress at Work will also be a valuable reference for students on the following courses as part of modules concerned with Human Factors: NEBOSH Certificate and Diploma courses, MSc courses in Occupational Health and Safety Management, IOSH Managing Safely, British Safety Council diploma and NVQ level 3 and 4 courses in Occupational Safety and Health.
Jeremy Stranks has 40 years of experience in occupational safety and health enforcement, management, consultancy and training. He is a founding member of NEBOSH and has lectured on numerous training courses on all aspects of health and safety. His company Safety and Hygiene Consultants offers companies advice in drawing up Health and Safety policies, writing risk assessments and audit procedures.
Introduction to stress:
What is stress?
Defining stress.
Degradation of human performance.
The evidence of stress.
Stress as opposed to pressure.
The cost of stress.
The response of the courts to stress.
The physiology of stress.
A model of human performance and stress.
The effects of stress.
Occupational groups.
Conclusion.
Questions to ask yourself after reading this chapter.
Key points – implications for employers.
The causes of stress:
Classification of the causes of stress at work.
Factors contributing to stress at work.
Categorizing the causes of stress.
The main sources of work stress.
Recognizing stress in the workplace.
Stress within the organization.
Organizational culture and change.
Stress in the work group.
Shift workers and other atypical workers.
The home–work interface.
Reducing stress at organizational level.
Violence, bullying and harassment at work.
Violence management.
Conclusion.
Questions to ask yourself after reading this chapter.
Key points – implications for employers.
Responses to stress:
Symptoms of stress.
Responses to prolonged stress.
The stages of the stress response.
Stress indicators.
The effects of stress on job performance.
Anxiety and depression.
Role theory.
Personality and stress.
Submission, assertion and aggression.
Crisis.
Alcohol misuse.
Drug misuse and addiction.
Women at work.
Conclusion.
Questions to ask yourself after reading this chapter.
Key points – implications for employers.
The evaluation of stress:
The measurement and evaluation of stress.
Stress levels in occupations.
Conclusion.
Questions to ask yourself after reading this chapter.
Key points – implications for employers.
Coping with stress:
Responding to stress.
Personal coping strategies.
Change management and stress.
Organizational change.
Personal change.
Better time management.
Dealing with personal crisis.
Assertiveness training.
Coping strategies.
Relaxation therapy.
Ideas for managing stress.
Stress: what you can do.
Conclusion.
Questions to ask yourself after reading this chapter.
Key points – implications for employers.
Stress in the workplace:
Advice to employers.
Strategies for reducing stress.
Recognizing stress in the workplace.
The need to consider human factors.
Human behaviour and stress.
Mentally and physically challenged employees.
Workplace indicators of stress.
Stress in groups.
The sources of management stress: HSE guidance note HS(G)48.
Stress and the potential for human error.
Conclusion.
Questions to ask yourself after reading this chapter.
Key points – implications for employers.
Managing stress at work:
Employers’ responsibilities and duties in relation to stress.
Duties of senior management: The human factors-related approach.
Human factors and the need to manage stress.
Developing a strategy.
Strategies for managing stress.
HSE management standards.
Teamworking.
Decision-making and stress.
The work setting.
Information, instruction and training.
Communicating change.
Creating a healthy workplace.
Health promotion arrangements: Organizational interventions.
Health surveillance arrangements.
Personal stress questionnaire.
Work-related stress risk assessment.
Ergonomics and stress.
Job design and organization.
Stress management programmes.
Occupational health schemes and services.
Remedies for employers.
FIET recommendations on limitations of work-related stress and pressure affecting salaried employees.
Termination of employment for work-related stress.
Stress management action plans.
A corporate fitness programme.
EU principles of stress prevention.
Conclusion.
Questions to ask yourself after reading this chapter.
Key points – implications for employers.
The civil implications:
The landmark case.
Principal areas of consideration.
Court of Appeal guidelines: employers’ obligations.
Linking stress to the workplace.
Recent cases.
Practical propositions.
Violence, harassment and bullying at work.
Court of Appeal general guidelines.
Establishing stress-induced injury.
Liability for psychiatric illness.
The remedies for employers.
A corporate strategy.
Conclusion.
Questions to ask yourself after reading this chapter.
Key points – implications for employers.
The criminal implications:
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA).
What is health?
Management of Health and Safety atWork Regulations 1999 (MHSWR).
Management of Health and Safety at Work and Fire Precautions (Workplace) (Amendment) Regulations 2003.
HSE stress questionnaire.
Stress and risk assessment.
Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992.
The criminal implications of violence, bullying and harassment.
Whistle blowing.
Home working and stress.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Disability arising from mental impairment.
Employment tribunals and stress.
HSE research reports.
HSE management standards.
Conclusion.
Questions to ask yourself after reading this chapter.
Key points – implications for employers.
Appendix: Stress audit:
Undertaking the audit.
What is stress?
Executive summary.
Bibliography and further reading.
Index.
Biography
Jeremy Stranks
