The Management Standards define the characteristics, or culture, of an organisation where the risks from work-related stress are being effectively managed and controlled.
The Management Standards cover six key areas of work design that, if not properly managed, are associated with poor health and well-being, lower productivity and increased sickness absence.
In other words, the six Management Standards cover the primary sources of stress at work.
These are:
Includes issues such as workload, work patterns, and the work environment.
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.
What should be happening /
States to be achieved:
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; and
Employees' concerns about their work environment are addressed.
How much say the person has in the way they do their work.
The Standard 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 /
States to be achieved:
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; and
Employees are consulted over their work patterns.
Includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.
The Standard 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 /
States to be achieved:
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; and
Employees receive regular and constructive feedback
Includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
The Standard 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 /
States to be achieved:
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; and
Systems are in place to enable and encourage employees to report unacceptable behaviour.
Whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that the person does not have conflicting roles.
The Standard 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 /
States to be achieved:
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; and
Systems are in place to enable employees to raise concerns about any uncertainties or conflicts they have in their role and responsibilities.
How organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation.
The Standard 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 /
States to be achieved:
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; and
Employees have access to relevant support during changes.
All employers have legal responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to ensure the health safety and welfare at work of their employees. This includes minimising the risk of stress-related illness or injury to employees.
At Board LevelDirectors need to consider how they will:
Monitor factors that might suggest there is a problem with stress-related illness in the business, for example, high rates of absenteeism, staff turnover, poor performance, conflict between staff
Ensure there is a health and safety policy that addresses the issue of stress in the workplace, including, if appropriate, a stress management strategy
Ensure effective risk assessments have been carried out, are monitored regularly and any recommendations are being implemented and adequately funded
Plan for stress-related risks when embarking on significant organisational change.
HR and Health and Safety Managers have an important role in assisting employers to proactively address work-related stress, and in doing so reduce the likelihood of employees suffering from work related stress.
Depending on the structure of the organisation, HR and Health and Safety managers may wish to consider how they will:
Keep up to date with best practice relating to work-related stress
Conduct and review risk assessments checklist on conducting effective risk assessments.
Find out about specific issues that may indicate that risk assessments need reviewing or updating – such as evidence of an employee suffering stress or larger management changes to the business
Provide information to employees about stress-related illnesses and their obligations to inform managers about risks at work
Feed back any wider concerns about risks to health from stress at work to board level
Examine stress as a possible factor in relation to frequent or long-term absenteeism for individual employees
Identify what medical and other evidence is required to determine whether the employee may have a disability within the meaning of the Disability Discrimination Act. If so, consider whether the employee is being treated less favourably for a reason related to the disability and whether there are reasonable adjustments that could be made
Report their concerns to appropriate senior personnel while maintaining any obligations of confidentiality.
From a Line Manager's perspective, legal responsibility rests primarily with the ‘employer’ who is responsible not only for action or lack of action at board level but also for all those employed by him.
Line Managers have an important role in assisting employers to proactively address work-related stress, and in doing so reduce the likelihood of employees suffering from work related stress.
Examples of issues Line Managers may wish to consider include:
Whether stress may be a factor in relation to frequent or long-term absenteeism for individual employees
How they will monitor and address potential sources of stress
Identify what medical and other evidence is required to determine whether the employee may have a disability within the meaning of the Disability Discrimination Act. If so, consider whether the employee is being treated less favourably for a reason related to the disability and whether there are reasonable adjustments that could be made
Report their concerns to appropriate senior personnel while maintaining any obligations of confidentiality.
Line Managers are crucial to the successful prevention and management of work-related stress within their team. They tend to be the first port of call when there is a problem and they are in an ideal position to be able to identify and manage stress. But they can also be part of the problem.
Line Managers’ roles and responsibilities include:
To understand what work-related stress is, what causes it and how it can be prevented and managed
To engage and communicate with staff about stress and raise awareness
To be aware of your organisation’s policies and procedures on this issue
To support and get involved in organisational initiatives to tackle stress, for example, encouraging staff to complete questionnaires, attend focus groups or suggest solutions
To understand your role in preventing and managing work-related stress, and that you can sometimes cause or exacerbate it
To be aware of your their competencies in managing and preventing this issue and how this can impact on staff, as well as taking action to improve your their competencies
To identify potential causes of stress before they become a problem
To identify work-related stress in your team members early and work with the individual and human resources in resolving the problem
To support staff to prevent work-related stress and to help them manage it once it occurs, including providing access to relevant support services
To identify and implement solutions that will prevent work-related stress in your teams
To help staff return successfully to work after work-related stress successfully
EMPLOYEES REQUIREMENTS
Employees also have a legal duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and of others who may be affected by their actions.
Employees should:
Inform their employer if they feel the pressure of the job is putting them or anyone else at risk of ill health.
NOTE: Write to your Line Manager, keep copies of all correspondence sent and received, and keep records of times and dates of incidents. Consider keeping a diary.
Suggest ways in which the work might be organised to alleviate the stress
Inform their employer if they are suffering from a medical condition that appears to be long-term and is affecting their ability to carry out day to day tasks, including memory and learning
Discuss any reasonable adjustments that could be made to assist them in performing their job.
Employees have a responsibility to raise concerns and tell their manager or representative about possible problems and sources of stress. If the organisation is not aware of a problem it can be difficult for action to be taken. Employees' roles and responsibilities include:
To understand what work-related stress is, what causes it and how it can be prevented and managed.
To raise awareness about this issue with your colleagues and prevent stigma. This includes taking the issue seriously.
To be aware of your organisation's policies and procedures on this issue.
To identify potential causes of stress for yourself or your colleagues before they become a problem and to raise them with your line manager or other suitable individuals, this may include, where appropriate, sources of stress outside of work.
To identify early when you or your colleagues are beginning to experience excessive pressure that may lead to work-related stress and raise this with your line manager or HR so they can help in resolving the problem.
To work with your manager or HR department in tackling the issue, for example, identifying solutions you think may help.
To support and get involved in organisational initiatives to tackle this issue, for example, completing questionnaires, attending focus groups or suggesting solutions.
To be supportive of colleagues experiencing work-related stress.
To work with your line manager or HR department in identifying solutions to help you return to work effectively and quickly.
LINKS (Opens new window)
ACAS: Advice on all aspects of employment including Work-Related Stress.
Healthy Work Matters: Advice for employees on work-related stress.
