The RCT Source

You should:

• speak to the person involved about the complaint and take the complaint seriously and do not belittle the person;
• try to identify any problem, determine what can be done and agree and implement an action plan to control stress risk factors (carry out a workplace stress assessment);
• try to resolve the situation as quickly as possible whilst the employee is still at work rather than after the employee has gone off sick;
• if the distress is serious and fault is cited, ask for expert assistance (e.g. from the Occupational Health and Wellbeing Unit and/or Human Resources);
• if the complaint involves issues with yourself or other team members, Human Resources should be involved, as should an employee representative, and possibly also the Occupational Health and Wellbeing Unit;
• even if it is determined that ‘home’ influences are a major contribution in a complaint about stress, still try and support the employee otherwise their performance may still suffer and it could also affect their colleagues (support could be referral to the Occupational Health and Wellbeing Unit for referral to a counsellor). 

As an employer, the Council has a legal responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of its employees, by assessing the risks arising from its work activities and to take measures to control those risks.

This includes minimising the risk of illness or injury due to work related stress. 

You should:

• speak either formally or informally to your line manager or another person in your management chain;
• speak to your trade union representative, trade union health and safety representative or a Human Resources Adviser;
• speak to the Occupational Health and Wellbeing Unit about being referred to a counsellor;
• if you prefer, speak to your GP.

Yes – there is one accessible on the RCT Source under Additional Resources.

Yes – the Health and Safety Executive recommends an approach based on a set of management standards as detailed in their publication:

HSG218: Managing the causes of work-related stress – A step-by-step approach using the Management Standards.

The ‘management standards’ are six key factors of work design that cover the primary sources of work related stress and are:

• demands – e.g. workload;
• control – e.g. how much say employees have in the way they do their work;
• support – e.g. the encouragement and support provided by managers;
• relationships – e.g. dealing with unacceptable behaviour
• role – e.g. ensuring that people understand their role within the Council;
• change – e.g. how organisational change is managed and communicated.

The Health and Safety Executive’s formal definition of work related stress is:

‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them at work’.

The Health and Safety Executive’s publication: 'HSG218: Managing the causes of work-related stress – A step-by-step approach using the Management Standards', gives the following approach to carrying out a risk assessment for work related stress:

Step 1 – identify the stress risk factors (understand the management standards);

Step 2 – decide who might be harmed and how (gather data);

Step 3 – evaluate the risks (explore problems and develop solutions);

Step 4 – record your findings (develop and implement action plans);

Step 5 – monitor and review (monitor and review action plans and   assess effectiveness).

Work related stress is now widely recognised as a major cause of ill health and sickness absence at work.

The Health and Safety Executive report that in theUK:

• in 2007/08, 237,000 new cases of work related stress, depression or anxiety were reported in the previous 12 months;
• nearly half a million people report work related stress at a level they believe is making them ill;
• each case of stress related ill health leads to an average of 30 days off work;
• a total of thirteen and a half million working days are lost each year to work related stress.