Stress Management & Resilience
Stress Audits
Stress Risk Assessments
Employee Attitude Surveys
Stress is an inevitable part of life. Stress does however become a danger when it goes unrecognised, is poorly managed or becomes pent up over long periods of time. Dealing with stress is about dealing with change.
Many factors or events can cause stress - moving home, financial worries or perhaps the end of a relationship. In the work place the fear of unplanned change or sometimes promotion can cause stress, being overwhelmed by too many tasks and not getting any feedback add to negative stress. Deadlines, understaffing, lack of job security are all major contributions to overstress, not being able to delegate or having any real responsibility for decision making creates stress.
Today, we are becoming increasingly aware of both the negative and positive aspects of stress and realise that stress, if managed effectively, can actually be good for us. Only by pinpointing precisely what the pressures are and where they exist can effective stress management techniques be implemented in order to provide a platform for individuals to reach their own peak of efficiency, contribute to business success and work towards achieving a healthy work–life balance.
Stress Audits
A stress audit can act as an essential early warning system to identify and highlight any potential risks to both your employees and the business. Under The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 there is now a requirement that employers carry out risk assessments and assess the potential risks of both ill health and injury to their employees. Technically, stress has no medical or psychological meaning. No one suffers from stress itself, however they do suffer from the effects of stress.
A major study by the University of Bristol showed that stress related illnesses were the second most common causes of ill health at work. At the top of the list for occupational stress were long hours, excessive workloads coupled with a lack of control and poor communication.
By conducting a Stress Audit you will be able to identify where the key stressors lay within your organisation and take the necessary steps to implement any changes that will enable these stressors to be substantially reduced – resulting in a healthier, more content work force together with a reduction in both the time and costs of absenteeism and potential litigation. In addition, your staff will be aware and motivated by the fact that you acknowledge any potential stress hazards by ethically demonstrating a “Duty of Care” ensuring that your employees’ health is not at risk through excessive levels of stress arising from the way work is organised, the way people deal with each other or from the day-to-day demands of work.
Stress Risk Assessments
Under the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations (1999) employers are required to carry out risk assessments of any hazards that could potentially cause harm to their employees, contractors or self-employed people working within the organisation. By conducting a Stress Risk Assessment you will be able to quickly clarify and assess the probability of any potential risks or hazards within the workplace.
Employee Attitude Surveys
An Employee Attitude Survey (EAS) will provide you with a framework for understanding what is happening amongst your employees at any given time and can help to ensure that you retain staff and cut down on unnecessary, costly turnover and absenteeism. An EAS will also assist you by assessing the effectiveness of internal communications, salary and benefits together with the current training initiatives you provide. An EAS will also tell you what your employees are thinking and feeling about the organisation as a whole. An EAS will help identify any signs of isolation amongst individuals, fear of change, uncertainty, lack of belief in current company objectives and highlight any feelings of de-motivation due to management style. By conducting an EAS not only will your employees will feel “listened to” and “valued” in addition you will be in a prime position to address and take necessary action on any issues resulting from the survey. An EAS comprises of a confidential questionnaire that is circulated to all staff and once completed the results quantified and the findings presented in order than any changes can be formulated and applied.