Seamus
Hayes B Phil B Theol
Life Coach, Trainer, Corporate Stress Consultant, Psychotherapist
|
 |
Work Stress
(European Agency for Health &
Safety at Work)
FREE download (pdf format) Summary of European Agency Research |
"Remember –
work-related stress is a symptom of an organisational problem, not an individual
weakness"
|
"Stress is a state
of discomfort that arises when
we perceive that present demands exceed our resources to cope with them"
"there is an imbalance between demands
and our ability to cope with them"
"Situations are characterised by low
levels of CONTROL and SUPPORT"
COPE = CONTROL + SUPPORT
|
Despite
limitations in contemporary research into the management of work-related stress, the
report found available scientific evidence to support the following:
 | Work-related stress can be dealt with in the same way as
other health and safety issues, by adapting the control cycle already well-established for
the assessment and management of physical risks to the management of stress at work. |
| Practical examples of this approach applied to stress at
work exist in several European Union countries. |
| Future research should concentrate on stress management
interventions at the organisational level. |
|
Success
factors of good prevention
| Adequate risk analysis
A baseline should be established through risk assessment. Surveys can be part of
this process, (not be undertaken unless there is a clear intention of taking timely action
on the results.) |
| Thorough planning and a stepwise approach
Clear aims should be set and target groups identified, as well as identifying
tasks, responsibilities and allocating resources. |
| Combination of work-directed and
worker-directed measures
Priority must be given to collective and organisational interventions to tackle
risks at source. Worker-directed measures can complement other actions. |
| Context- specific solutions
Employees’ on-the-job experience is a vital resource in identifying problems
and solutions. Outside expertise may sometimes be necessary too. |
| Experienced practitioners and evidence based
interventions
Only competent outside expertise should be used. |
| Social dialogue, partnership and
workers’ involvement
Involvement and commitment from employees, middle and senior management is crucial
for every stage of an intervention. |
| Sustained prevention and top management
support
Sustainable improvement is not possible unless management is ready to make changes.
Risk management should become a principal of the way business is done. |
|
Ideas for working together to find solutions for stress at work:
| Atmosphere
Try putting forward
constructive ideas for how things could be improved. |
| Demands
Prioritise your work, and if there is too much, suggest what could be dropped, put
on hold or passed on, without putting too many demands on others.
Tell your manager or trade union or other employee representative if you are beginning to
feel you can’t cope, and make suggestions about how the situation could be improved.
Identify new tasks you could do if you want more variety.
Ask for information about
hazards and precautions in your workplace if you are worried.
Make sure you follow relevant policies, where they exist. |
| Control
Ask for more responsibility in planning your own work. Ask to be involved in
decision-making about your work area. |
| Relationships
If you think you are being bullied, take action early by talking to your manager,
employee representative, or other supportive colleague. If your manager is part of the
problem, perhaps talk to your manager’s boss. Be prepared to give evidence to back up
your claim; this may include keeping a record of when you feel you have been bullied with
details. Make sure your behaviour to others always sets a good example. |
| Change
Ask for information about changes – how they will affect you, what the
timetable is and the likely benefits and disadvantages. |
| Role
Talk to your manager if the responsibilities in your job are not clear; may be ask
for a new job description. |
| Support
Ask for feedback on how you do your job. If you get criticism, ask for suggestions
instead. |
| Training
If you feel you need to develop your skills, suggest how you could do this. |
|
| How should I help tackle work related stress? Your employer is responsible for preventing stress at work.
However,for best effect, you should work together with your employer, manager and trade
union or other employee representative. Some ideas include:
| Talk to your employer and trade union
or other employee representative if there are problems; if there are difficulties in going
directly to your employer, your representative could raise the issue for you; |
| Help to identify problems, their
possible solutions and how they could be implemented by getting involved with your
employer’s stress risk assessment; it should help to use the questions above to
identify problems and then think of solutions for your workplace; |
| Help to check that the solutions work;
Discuss your situation with your organisation’s occupational health service or
employee assistance service, if available; If none of these options are effective, you
could contact your labour inspectorate for further advice. |
| Go to see your doctor if you are
worried about your health. Working on life-style improvements will also help; these will
not solve the problem but should help in avoiding or reducing harm. These improvements
include healthier eating, taking more exercise, keeping within guidelines for alcohol
consumption, trying to reduce or stop smoking and keeping up with family and friends |
|