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HSE looks at workplace stress, asking employees their opinions
Page 23
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• Draft management standards that should help employers determine whether or not stress is a major problem for their staff have been devised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Up to 13.4 million working days a year are lost due to workplace stress, it points out.
It advises companies to assess how workers feel about several key areas, It reckons that at least 85% of employees should indicate that they can cope with the demands of their job, have a say about how they do their work and receive adequate information and support from their managers and colleagues.
At least 65%—a surprisingly low figure should indicate that they understand their role and responsibilities, that they're consulted when changes are about to be made, and that they're not subjected to unacceptable behaviour—bullying, for instance. The HSE wants employers to use these draft standards and provide it with some feedback. Further information is available from www.hse.gov.uk/stress/stresspifot.
Many transport companies are starting to recognise that stress can be a serious issue. It may not be the individual's job that's com pletely to blame however, says Chris Evans, group safety manager at Christian Salvesen.
"If you've got a stressful job then you're going to find it a lot easier to cope if you've got a stress-free domestic life, and can unwind once you're behind your own front door," he observes. "If your home life's stressful too, however, and you can't relax there, then you've got a big problem."
Christian Salvesen is planning to introduce an independent counselling service so that workers who feel stressed—for what ever reason—have got somebody they can talk to in confidence.
"We're also looking at educating managers to identify signs of stress among workers, but there's remarkably little training material available," Evans comments. "The only videos we've been able to find are American, and an American accent on a training video turns UK employees off."
Signs that somebody is suffering from stress include a sudden decline in their work rate or increase in absenteeism.