HSE guidelines
Rosemary Running the seminar on the new Stress Management Standards
Rosemary then a director of ISMA at the launch of the New Management standards. Rosemary is talking to - Bill Callaghan chair of Health and Safety Commission, Chris Row head of HSE psychosocial policy, Jonathan Pearce PR Consultant ISMA, Jane Kennedy Minister for work and pensions

HSE Guidelines For Tackling Work Related Stress

In the last few years organisational stress has been recognised as a cause of absence from work for many people. Handling stress and well being has therefore become a priority for the government and the Health and Safety Commission.

ApP is completely up to date with all the latest Health and Safety initiatives including the most recent “Health work and well-being - Caring for our future”, ”Managing Sickness Absence” and the Management Standards approach for tackling organisational stress.

Information

According to research commissioned by the HSE (2001/2004), 560,000 people are estimated to be suffering from stress-related illness, indirectly resulting in around 13.0 million days being taken in sickness absences.

Tackling stress has therefore become one of the HSC’s priority programmes for improving the health of the nation. From a legal viewpoint, both under civil law and the Heath and Safety at Work Act etc 1974, employers now have a legal duty of care to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable that employees do not suffer from stress related illness as a result of their work.

  Change
  Control
  Demands of the job
  Role
  Relationships and
  Support and Training

Managers are then given sound advice as to how they should tackle the problems associated with these. They are also shown how to do a stress risk assessment using the 5 steps as follows :

  • Identify hazards
  • Decide what might be a hazard and how
  • Evaluate risk
  • Make records
  • Review

While the guidance takes this risk assessment approach, stress risk assessment is very different to other types of risk assessment and involves the use of 6 Management Standards. One for each of the 6 risk factors.

 

So what are these Standards?

The Standards basically provide a yardstick to measure the success and progress an organisation has in managing stress.

 

Rosemary Running the seminar on the new Stress Management Standards
Rosemary with Hugh Robertson from the TUC

They also provide a means to help managers adopt good management practice.

While they are not new legislation they are intended to help employers meet their existing duties under Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regs 1999. The 6 standards are based on 6 of the 7 risk factors described in the original Manager’s Guide. Culture has been removed because this is now believed to be endemic in the other factors and improving these will automatically result in an improvement in culture.

Each Standard comprises a major platform statement about good management practice and represents a desirable state to be achieved. In addition to this each standard is accompanied by a number of additional sub- statements which explain what should be happening in the organisation if the standard is to be achieved.

Taking demands as an example, the standard is that:

Employees indicate that they are able to cope with the demands of their jobs
  and
  Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns

To achieve this standard the following sub statements describes what should be happening:

  • The organisation provides employees with adequate and achievable demands in relation to the agreed hours of work
  • People’s skills and abilities are matched to the job demands
  • Jobs are designed to be within the capabilities of employees
  • Employees’ concerns about their work environment are addressed
  • Details of all the other 5 standards are available in the appendix.

 

Measurement

The Standards have been developed basically to enable employers to work with employees and their representatives to continuously improve performance in tackling work-related stress.

To do this effectively organisations are required to determine their performance in each Standard and compare this with national data. The data represents a level of achievement reported by the 20% of workers in Britain with the most favourable working conditions. Data for the national average achievement is also available.

Once organisations a have determined how they compare with this they are then required to set their own aspirational targets for improvement. The eventual aim is to reach the level of the top 20% in each Standard.

In order to help organisations implement this Standards approach to tackling stress the HSE has also developed a new process which follows on from the original Managers Guide. While this is currently only web-based (www.hse.gov.uk/stress) plans are afoot to produce paper copies at a later date.

So what does the process involve?

Like the Managers Guide (HSG218) the new process adopts the 5 step risk assessment. Using the 5 steps it shows managers how to determine the cause of stress in the organisation, and how to produce action plans to work towards improvement.

Before the 5 stages are discussed the importance of gaining senior management commitment is emphasised as is the importance of all levels working together to find suitable solutions. The need for effective communication at all stages is also stressed.

Organisations are also advised to produce a Stress Management Policy The process then takes managers through each stage of risk assessment as follows:
:

Stage 1 - Identify the hazards

This basically involves all employees at all levels familiarising themselves with the Risk Factors and Management Standards so they are aware of causes of stress and what can generically be done to improve matters.

Stage 2 - Decide who may be harmed and how

This is a heavy weight stage and is the stage that many mistakenly describe alone as risk assessment. This is because it is the stage where employers need to identify causes of stress in the organisation. (NB It is important to be aware that all five stages together comprise the risk assessment and not just part 3).

First managers are expected to have an understanding of stress such that they need to recognise that the risk factors can affect people in different ways and acknowledge that stress has the potential to affect any member of staff. Stress should therefore, not be seen as a weakness, because under a certain set of circumstances stress can happen to anybody. It would therefore be helpful at this stage to ensure that staff has some kind of stress management awareness training to understand the concept and the psychological component of stress. Organisations are at this point also advised to accept that managers and employees need to “communicate with openness, honesty and trust.”

Once this is understood managers then need to identify the problem area in their organisation. To do this the HSE recommends managers use a variety of methods.

Quantitative data

Quantitative data such as staff absence figures and productivity data can be used to identify hot spots. Data from staff satisfaction surveys may also be very useful. However the HSE also suggest that organisations may like to use some kind of a stress survey. While this may be tailor made for a specific organisation or one of the many “off the peg “ surveys in existence, the HSE have produced a new generic survey available on the web site www.hse.gov.uk/stress

Qualitative data

In addition to quantitative data, the HSE also suggest that qualitative information may be used too. If an organisation has less than about 12 employees this is favourable as questionnaires with small numbers are unlikely to totally confidential. Quantitative data can be gained by running specific focus groups or, less formally via team meetings, appraisals, return to work interviews and exit interviews. Throughout, organisations are advised that combination of methods is the best approach.

The HSE survey

For those wishing to use the HSE survey, a questionnaire of 35 questions is provided together with advice on how to conduct the survey, choosing a significant sample size and a random sample and how best to run the survey ensuring high response rate. If the HSE survey is used, it can be automatically compared to the top 20% of organisations using best practice for each standard. Results of the survey are displayed as bar charts for each Standard alongside bar charts obtained for the national average and top 20%. However if organisations do not wish to use a quantitative survey, advice is also given how to convert qualitative data from a focus group into data which can also be compared to the national average and top 20% of organisations.

Whatever methods are chosen for step 2, the main issue is that the organisation must decide how they compare and, where performance is low, decide on realistic target for improvement. In other words they must decide on what level of achievement to aspire to. The final step in stage three is then to communicate the results to all levels of the organisation. The manager can then move on to step 4.
.

Stage 3 - Evaluate the risk and take action

Here managers need to work with the information they acquired in stage 2.

They need to provide feedback to staff by communicating the results obtained in step 2.

They also need to deal with any individual concerns that may arise.

They then need to work with staff to link problems with solutions. This can be done by discussing the results in staff team meetings or setting up focus groups representing all levels and areas of a department.

Step 4 - Record your findings

To do this managers should develop an action plan and in doing so should include senior management and employee representatives of all levels. A major requirement here again is communication. Writing an action plan enables managers to set goals to work towards, prioritise important issues and demonstrate to all that they are serious about addressing employees’ concerns. Action plans also provide something to evaluate and review against which is the final step. When writing an action plan the HSE advises it should include:

  • What the problem is
  • How the problem was identified
  • What you are going to do in response
  • How you arrived at the solution
  • Some milestones and dates for them to be achieved
  • A commitment to provide feedback to employees and
  • A date for review.

This then leads to the final stage.

Step 5 - Monitor and review. Evaluate Effectiveness.

This stage is often forgotten but is still a major part of the 5 step risk assessment process. If stress management is to be successful it is important that progress is monitored and reviewed. This can be done using the action plan to ensure all actions have been satisfactorily undertaken. In doing this the effectiveness of the actions taken can be evaluated and any necessary changes made. Again at this final stage the HSE emphasise the need to update senior managers and employees on progress and provide them with the opportunity for feedback.

Unlike many government initiatives, this risk assessment approach is NOT an enforcement-led approach. As the Standards approach is based on good management practice where the workforce is shifted from an “undesirable state” to a “desirable state” the HSE hope that organisations will see the benefit of adopting it and want to work towards continuous improvement.

MOVING FORWARD

While the management Standards Approach is an excellent approach to tackling work related stress, many organisations do not fully understand how to implement it successfully They start with the best intentions but encounter obstacles and pitfalls. ApP is completely up to date with all aspects of this and can provide advice and a consultancy service.

For more information click HERE or contact us

As well as running ApP, Dr Anderson was also a director of The International Stress Management Association for 6 years and as such carried out research to find out what the obstacles are to carrying out The Management Standards approach and how they can be overcome. As a result of this she wrote a workshop and an information leaflet for ISMA and the HSE spoke about this at an HSE/ISMA conference on National Stress Awareness Day. See below;

 

FREE LEAFLETS

Dr Anderson has co written two information leaflets for the HSE /ISMA. These are:

  • “Working Together to reduce stress at work” a leaflet for employees published NSAD 2004
  • “Making the Stress Management Standards Work” a leaflet for managers published NSAD 2005

To obtain a copy of either of these leaflets please contact us

 

CONFERENCE

On National Stress Awareness Day - 2nd November 2005 Dr Anderson was a keynote speaker at the HSE/ISMA stress conference. Her presentation “Making the Management Standards Work” is currently being web cast and can be accessed from the HSE web site. www.hse.gov.uk/stress


APPENDIX
HSE MANAGEMENT STANDARDS

 

Demands

Includes issues like workload, work patterns, and the work environment. The standards is that:

Employees indicate that they are able to cope with the demands of their jobs
  and
  Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns

What should be happening:

  • The organisation provides employees with adequate and achievable demands in relation to the agreed hours of work
  • People skills and abilities are matched to the job demands.
  • Jobs are designed to be within the capabilities of employees.
  • Employees concerns about their work environment are addressed.


Control

How much say the person has in the way they do their work. The standards is that:

Employees indicate that they are able to have a say about the way they do their work
  and
  Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns


What should be happening:

  • Where possible, employees have control over their pace of work.
  • Employees are encouraged to use their skills and initiative to do their work.
  • Where possible, employees are encouraged to develop new skills to help them undertake new and challenging pieces of work.
  • The organisation encourages employees to develop their skills.
  • Employees have a say over when breaks can be taken.
  • Employees are consulted over their work patterns.


Support

Includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues. The standards is that:

Employees indicate that they receive adequate information and support from their colleagues and superiors
  and
  Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns

What should be happening:

  • The organisation has policies and procedures to adequately support employees.
  • Systems are in place to enable and encourage managers to support their staff.
  • Systems are in place to enable and encourage employees to support their colleagues.
  • Employees know what support is available and how and when to access it.
  • Employees know how to access the required resources to do their job.
  • Employees receive regular and constructive feedback.

 

Relationships

Includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour. The standards is that:

Employees indicate that they are not subjected to unacceptable behaviours, e.g. bullying, at work
  and
  Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns

What should be happening:

  • The organisation promotes positive behaviours at work to avoid conflict and ensure fairness.
  • Employees share information relevant to their work.
  • The organisation has agreed policies and procedures to prevent or resolve unacceptable behaviour.
  • Systems are in place to enable and encourage managers to deal with unacceptable behaviour.
  • Systems are in place to enable and encourage employees to report unacceptable behaviour.

 

Role

Whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles. The standards is that:

Employees indicate that they understand their role and responsibilities
  and
  Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns

What should be happening:

  • The organisation ensures that, as far as possible, the different requirements it places upon employees are compatible.
  • The organisation provides information to enable employees to understand their role and responsibilities.
  • The organisation ensures that, as far as possible, the requirements it places upon employees are clear.
  • Systems are in place to enable employees to raise concerns about any uncertainties or conflicts they have in their role and responsibilities.

 

Change

How organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation. The standards is that:

Employees indicate that the organisation engages them frequently when undergoing an organisational change
  and
  Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns


What should be happening:

  • The organisation provides employees with timely information to enable them to understand the reasons for proposed changes.
  • The organisation ensures adequate employee consultation on changes and provides opportunities for employees to influence proposals.
  • Employees are aware of the probable impact of any changes to their jobs. If necessary, employees are given training to support any changes in their jobs.
  • Employees are aware of timetables for changes.
  • Employees have access to relevant support during changes.

 

For further assistance please contact us.

 

 

 

© Copyright Dr Rosemary Anderson 2005
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