Tackling workplace stress
By Sue Mennell (22-03-2007)
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The cost of working days lost due to stress is currently around £9.6 billion per year in the UK. With around one in five people experiencing high levels of stress at work and 44 per cent saying they feel under excessive pressure once or twice a week or more, there is clearly a need for managers to take a hands-on approach to improving employee well-being.
Managers can help by monitoring workload and refusing to take on extra work when the team is under pressure. Empowering employees shows they are trusted with the responsibility to do their jobs. Clear communication is key. Managers must be visible and accessible, ready to talk to employees. They must communicate clear goals and objectives and avoid holding meetings behind closed doors. In addition, managers must take a positive emotional approach and avoid acting aggressively or losing their temper with empoloyees.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has published three new guides, in association with the HSE, which it launched at the CIPD’s Stress and the Role of Line Managers Conference in London. These guides are tailored to the needs of line managers and HR professionals to help organisations combat work related stress.
Ben Willmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser, says managers 'need to be able to recognise when the people they manage are working under excessive pressure so they can intervene before individuals suffer from stress-related ill health. It is important for employees to have confidence in their managers so that they can admit to difficulties without fear of appearing weak or incompetent.'
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