Step 3 - Training

Research has shown that the major obstacles to effective stress management are

• 61% lack of time
• 50% lack of understanding about stress
• 48% lack of line manager commitment
• 46% stigma of stress

If a stress management process is to be effective all employees therefore need some kind of training to better understand the concepts involved. ApP provides a variety of different training solutions to meet individual client needs and budget. Types of training on offer are outlined below.

1. Project Group Seminars

To make sensible decisions on how best to introduce and implement stress management, the project group need to be well informed. ApP run project group seminars which cover the following:

• Outlines the concept of stress
• The business case
• Ways that stress can be tackled in an organisation - including the HSE risk assessment process
• Facilitation session to help decide on a suitable process

2. Senior Management Briefings

Senior managers often do not give much time to stress initiatives because they do not know what they do not know. It is therefore helpful to provide senior managers with the necessary information to help them understand the rationale for action. ApP runs stress awareness briefings for senior managers to do just that. These usually include:

• The business case – link to performance and absence management
• Case studies of organisations who have already successfully implemented stress management initiatives.
• Legal duty of care and how to avoid likelihood of personal injury claims
• HSE guidelines for compliance with stress risk assessment
• The role of managers at all level in tackling organisational stress and how a manager can reduce stress for their staff.

3. Seminars for stress champions

These are seminars designed for HR, H&S and occupational health managers and any one else who will be required to support either managers or employees once a process is implemented. These people need to:

• have a good understanding of the stress concept
• be very aware of the stress process and policy
• know how to help others

4. Risk Assessment Workshops

These are designed for health and safety, occupational health and human resource professionals or anyone else who may be responsible for introducing and overseeing the risk assessment process. The workshop explains:

• Current health and safety legislation related to stress
• How to carry out a pragmatic and effective collective stress risk assessment based on the HSE Management Standards approach.

It is based on the most recent HSE guidance “Managing the causes of work-related stress” (2007) and explains how to carry out a pragmatic manager friendly risk assessment. Case studies are often included where the guidance has been successfully implemented.

5. Manager Training

A major key to tackling stress at work lies with training managers. Managers need to understand:

1. The link between stress, mental health employee absence and reduced performance
2. The business case
3. Their legal duties of care
4. How to help individuals cope with stress and mental ill health at work
5. How to have effective 1:1 conversations with employees
6. How to identify common problems and teams and find solutions
7. How to carry out an HSE compliant risk assessment fro stress
8. How a manager can cause or reduce stress for employees by their management style and behaviour

ApP therefore run a range of generic and tailor-made training courses to cover all these concepts. These vary from one and two-day workshops to lunch and learn sessions.

As there are many myths around the concept of stress this often prevents managers at all levels taking the subject seriously. Managers also have very little time. ApP therefore believes that a priority in manager training is to understand how they will personally benefit by investing time to take action.

6. Awareness training for staff

This is aimed at raising stress awareness in all employees, helping staff take responsibility for their own health and well being and improving resilience to stress and mental ill health.

Training will usually cover :

• The difference between pressure and stress and the link between stress and mental ill health.
• Causes of stress at home and at work
• How we also cause our own stress by our own thoughts and behaviours
• Spotting symptoms of stress
• How to take responsibility for your own health and become more resilient to stress
• What to do if stress is work related
• The need to “have your say” take part in any stress risk assessment being carried out

Courses can be designed to suit the time available. Formats available:

• Two-day off site sessions. An ideal team building alternative. Residential courses can be combined with health spa experience.
• One-day and half day sessions
• Lunch and learn session
• Series of 2 hour sessions over a defined time period

Alternatively you can take advantage of one of the ApP existing courses described below.

7. One-day Performing Under Pressure

This programme is designed to help all employees:

• Understand the difference between pressure and stress
• Understand the difference between stress and common mental health problems
• Recognise the early warning symptoms of too much pressure.
• Become familiar with causes of pressure at work and the 6 HSE risk factors
• Identify ways to help themselves and colleagues deal with pressure at work.
• Understand where to go for help if they need it

8. One-day Peak Performance

This programme is much more personal than Performing Under Pressure and is designed to help individuals take responsibility for their own health well being, reduce personal stress and improve personal effectiveness. The programme looks at how we cause our own pressure through our thoughts and behaviour and help delegates work towards improvement.

9. Two-day Peak Performance

As day one - but with more information on diet exercise and self help techniques. There is also an option of 1:1 sessions

10. E learning

As training large numbers of staff can be very costly and impossible to do with remote and home workers ApP have developed a range of e learning programmes.

Click HERE or click the e learning icon to find out about ApP e learning and a preview of the stress, health and well being programme “It Can Happen to Anyone.”