Recognising Workplace Stress – A Manager's Guide
Managing Stress in the Professional Environment
Oct 17, 2008
It is important to recognise the signs so that an employee can quickly identify members of staff who may be suffering, and act to provide support and guidance so that stress can be managed effectively.
Symptoms Identifying Stress in Employees
In terms of behaviour, an employee who is stressed could be suffering from insomnia, have changes in their eating habits or be smoking or drinking more. They may start avoiding friends and family or have sexual problems. Physical symptoms might include tiredness, indigestion and nausea, headaches, aching muscles, palpitations, sweating or fainting.
Mentally, someone who is stressed may be more indecisive, find it hard to concentrate, have muddled thinking, loss of memory and feelings of inadequacy and low self esteem. Emotionally they are likely to get irritable or angry, be anxious, feel numb, be hypersensitive and feel drained and listless.
Anyone can suffer from work-related stress - cleaners and chief executives, administrative staff and clinical staff, office-based staff and community-based staff. Stress is a very real and valid problem which should not be attributed to weakness or certain personality types.
Causes of Stress in the Workplace
People suffer stress when the pressures put on them are greater than their ability to cope. This means stress happens when the demands made of individuals do not match the resources available to meet their needs and motivation. Stress will be the result if the workload is too large for the potential number of workers and the time available.
A boring or repetitive task, which does not make good use of someone's skills or experience, can also lead to stress. There are six main risk factors that can lead to work-related stress:
- The demands of someone's job
- Their control over their work
- The support they receive from managers and colleagues
- Relationships at work
- The employee's role in the organisation
- Change and how it's managed.
The Health and Safety Executive and the Chartered Institute for Personal Development (CIPD) have produced new guidance for HR and Line Managers on line management and behaviour and stress at work. These resources contain guidance for line management, advice for HR managers and a competency framework for managers.
What Managers Should Do to Manage Employee Stress
Managers at all levels need the skills to be able to tackle work-related stress both personally and among their staff. If staff suffer from stress, managers should have the skills to manage the consequences. Managers must understand the legal implications of stress in the workplace and be able to comply with health and safety law around stress.
They should also know how to approach an employee showing signs of stress, listen to them and maintain confidentiality, and know what internal and external advice and guidance is available to staff. It is important for them to recognise how they themselves may be contributing to the stress levels of staff and how they could change.
Legal Requirements and Responsibilities for Managers and Employers
Reducing the effects of workplace stress is the legal duty of all employers under health and safety law. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that 'every employer should ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees'. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to adopt modern risk management techniques.
Source:
The Health and Safety Executive online
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