Stress at Work

1
Stress at Work

• Tom Mellish, TUC
• Health and Safety Policy Officer

2
Stress at Work

• The TUCs Vision
• No one should leave work at the end of the day
  less healthy than they were when they started

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Stress at Work

• Topics to be covered
• Stress what it is and what a policy could look
  like
• Stress - and bullying
• - and alcohol/drugs

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Stress at Work

• Definition of stress
• the adverse reaction people have to excessive
  pressure or other types of demand placed on
  them.

5
Stress at Work

• HSE research indicates that
• about half a million people experience
  work-related stress at a level they believe was
  making them ill
• up to 5 million people in the UK feel very or
  extremely stressed by their work and
• work-related stress costs society between 3.7
  billion and 3.8 billion every year.

6
Stress at Work

• TUC SURVEY OF TRADE UNION SAFETY
• REPRESENTATIVES
• 1998, 2000 2002

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Stress at Work

• TUC Survey
• 250,000 Safety Reps in UK
• Over 8,9200 in 2000, 5,350 in 2002 and 4,500 in
  2004
• Over 1,000 from workplaces with fewer than 50
  employees

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Stress at Work
Risks 2000 2002 2004
Stress 66 55 58
Slips/Trips 32 33
DSE 36 34
MSD 45 31
RSI 41 37
Temp 31 23
Noise 26 20
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Stress at Work

• Stress
• Factors 2002
• Workloads 99.4
• Cuts in staff 64
• Change 63
• Long hours 55
• Shift work 22
• Bullying 28

• 2004
• 79
• 49
• 47
• 37
• 22
• 27

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Stress at Work

• where there are over 1000 workers the percentage
  rises to 63
• overwork or stress is more of a concern in the
  public sector (64), than in the private sector
  (48) and this represents an increase in both
  sectors since 2002

11
Stress at Work

• Workloads
• In 2004 survey, 4 out of every 5 safety reps
  (79) consider that workloads are a problem.
• Compared to private sector (73), problem of
  workloads is greater in public sector (83) and
  voluntary sector (77).

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Stress at Work

• Staff cuts up from third to second place as main
  stress related problem. Staff cuts identified by
  half the safety reps (49) in the 2004 survey,
  show similar results to 2002 and 2000 surveys.
  They are identified more often in the private
  sector (53) than in the public.

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Stress at Work

• For individual sectors, as in 2000, cuts in staff
  a particular problem
• Central Government (69)
• Banking, Finance and Insurance (59).
• Staff cuts more concern to safety reps in
• workplaces with 100 - 200 workers (51) and over
  1000 workers (55) and in
• London (57) and the South East (54).

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Stress at Work

• Safety reps in all sizes of workplace identified
  workloads as a major problem, but the worst are
  workplaces with between 100-200 workers (84).
• Workload is a particular problem in South West
  England - 86 identified it as an issue related
  to stress.

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Stress at Work

• For individual sectors, workloads are a
  particular problem identified by safety reps in
• Education (88)
• Central Government (85)
• Health Services, Local Government and Banking,
  Finance and Insurance (all 83).

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Stress at Work

• Bullying
• Bullying still significant problem.
• Number of safety reps identifying it is just
  over one in four (27).
• More often in the public sector (30) and
  voluntary sector (29) than in the private (20).

17
Stress at Work

• Bullying is seen as an increasing problem since
  2002 by safety reps in
• Central Government (40 increasing from 37)
• Local Government (37 increasing from 33)
• Bullying more of a problem as size of workplace
  increases - 34 of safety reps from workplaces
  over 1000 compared with 18 in workplaces with
  fewer than 50 workers.Bullying particular problem
  in London (36) and Wales (33).

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Stress at Work Sources of stress
include

• Job design boring, no control, isolation,
  pace/flow,lack of breaks, too little/too much
  work
• Contractual low pay, unsocial hours, long
  hours, excessive overtime, job insecurity
• Environment noise, lighting, overcrowding,
  fumes, canteen, temperature
• Relationships supervisors, sexism/racism,
  bullying, violence, communication, customers,

19
ObservationalWorkers may act differently when
stressed

• Mood changes
• bad moods
• aggression
• irritability
• irrationality
• overreacting
• negativity
• Indecisive-ness

• Behaviour change
• forgetfulness
• mistakes
• accident prone
• speaking too loud/fast
• personal appearance

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Stress at Work Organisational

• In an organisation stress may
• manifest itself as
• High levels of sickness and absence
• High accident rates
• High turnover of staff
• Low morale
• Low productivity
• Bullying

21
Stress at Work Self-reportedphysical and
emotional symptoms of stress

• Headaches
• Aches and pains
• Nausea or dizziness
• Lethargy
• Unexplained rashes
• Indigestion and heart burn

• Low self esteem
• Poor concentration
• Loss of libido
• Depression or anxiety
• Anger - irritability
• Panic attacks

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Stress at Work

• An effective policy on stress should
• recognise stress as a health and safety issue
• be jointly developed and agreed with trade
  unions
• have commitment from the top
• guarantee a non-judgemental approach and
• apply to everyone

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Stress at Work

• The objectives of a policy should be
• to prevent stress by identification and
  elimination
• to recognise and deal with stress through
  education, participation and co-operation and
• to rehabilitate through the provision of
  independent and confidential counselling

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Stress at Work

• Key to a stress policy is good risk
• assessment. This should include
• Physical environ Equipment
• Job content Working time
• Management Training
• Service conditions Support
  systems
• Managing change

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Stress at Work

• Court of Appeal Judgement, February 2002
• (Hatton, Barber, Bishop and Jones)
• Foreseeable
• Workplace Signs
• Signs from the Employee
• Prior Sickness Periods
• Advice line

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Stress at Work

• Union Campaign for legislation
• HSE Standards on Managing
• Stress at Work
• www.hse.gov.uk/stress/stresspilot/standards.htm

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Stress at Work

• Provision of occupational health
• Access to OH services
• Workplace OHS
• Group OHS
• Contracted-out OH
• HSEs Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS)
• National Health Service models
• Community Services