Managing Stress Policies in a Workplace.

Stress is something that affect a lot of people and often enough causes health problems if not dealt with professionally. Well-designed, organised and managed work is good for us but when insufficient attention to job design, work organisation and management has taken place, it can result in Work related stress. Work related stress develops because a person is unable to cope with the demands being placed on them. Stress, including work related stress, can be a significant cause of illness and is known to be linked with high levels of sickness absence, staff turnover and other issues such as more errors.

Stress can hit anyone at any level of the business and recent research shows that work related stress is widespread and is not confined to particular sectors, jobs or industries. That is why a population-wide approach is necessary to tackle it.

While some workplace stress is normal, excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and impact your physical and emotional health. And your ability to deal with it can mean the difference between success and or failure. You can’t control everything in your work environment, but that does not mean you’re powerless—even when you’re stuck in a difficult situation. Finding ways to manage workplace stress is not about making huge changes or rethinking career ambitions, but rather about focusing on the one thing that’s always within your control: you.

For workers everywhere, the troubled economy may feel like an emotional roller coaster. "Layoffs" and "budget cuts" have become bywords in the workplace, and the result is increased fear, uncertainty, and higher levels of stress. Since job and workplace stress increase in times of economic crisis, it’s important to learn new and better ways of coping with the pressure.

Your emotions are contagious, and stress has an impact on the quality of your interactions with others. The better you are at managing your own stress, the more you'll positively affect those around you, and the less other people's stress will negatively affect you.

Introduction

We are committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of our employees. We recognise that workplace stress is a health and safety issue and acknowledge the importance of identifying and reducing workplace stressors.

This policy will apply to everyone in the company. Managers are responsible for implementation and the company is responsible for providing the necessary resources.

http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/l/m/B18_1.pdf

Definition of stress

The Health and Safety Executive define stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them”. This makes an important distinction between pressure, which can be a positive state if managed correctly, and stress which can be detrimental to health.

Policy

• The company will identify all workplace stressors and conduct risk assessments to eliminate stress or control the risks from stress. These risk assessments will be regularly reviewed.

• The company will consult with Trade Union Safety Representatives on all proposed action relating to the prevention of workplace stress.

• The company will provide training for all managers and supervisory staff in good management practices.

• The company will provide confidential counselling for staff affected by stress caused by either work or external factors.

• The company will provide adequate resources to enable managers to implement the company’s agreed stress management strategy.

Responsibilities

Managers

• Conduct and implement recommendations of risks assessments within their jurisdiction.

• Ensure good communication between management and staff, particularly where there are organisational and procedural changes.

• Ensure staff are fully trained to discharge their duties.

• Ensure staff are provided with meaningful developmental opportunities.

• Monitor workloads to ensure that people are not overloaded.

      • Monitor working hours and overtime to ensure that staff are not overworking.

• Attend training as requested in good management practice and health and safety.

• Ensure that bullying and harassment is not tolerated within their jurisdiction.

• Be vigilant and offer additional support to a member of staff who is experiencing stress outside work e.g. bereavement or separation.

Occupational health and safety staff

• Provide specialist advice and awareness training on stress.

• Train and support managers in implementing stress risk assessments.

• Support individuals who have been off sick with stress and advise them and their management on a planned return to work.

• Refer to workplace counsellors or specialist agencies as required.

• Monitor and review the effectiveness of measures to reduce stress.

• Inform the employer and the health and safety committee of any changes and developments in the field of stress at work.

Human resources

• Give guidance to managers on the stress policy.

• Help monitor the effectiveness of measures to address stress by collating sickness absence statistics.

• Advise managers and individuals on training requirements.

• Provide continuing support to managers and individuals in a changing environment and encourage referral to occupational workplace counsellors where appropriate.

Employees

• Raise issues of concern with your Safety Representative, line manager or occupational health.

• Accept opportunities for counselling when recommended.

Safety representatives

• Safety Representatives must be meaningfully consulted on any changes to work practices or work design that could precipitate stress.

• Safety Representatives must be able to consult with members on the issue of stress including conducting any workplace surveys.

• Safety Representatives must be meaningfully involved in the risk assessment process.

• Safety Representatives should be allowed access to collective and anonymous data from HR.

• Safety Representatives should be provided with paid time away from normal duties to attend any Trade Union training relating to workplace stress.

• Safety Representatives should conduct joint inspections of the workplace at least every 3 months to ensure that environmental stressors are properly controlled.

Safety Committee

• The joint Safety Committee will perform a pivotal role in ensuring that this policy is implemented.

• The Safety Committee will oversee monitoring of the efficacy of the policy and other measures to reduce stress and promote workplace health and safety.

Safety Committee

• The joint Safety Committee will perform a pivotal role in ensuring that this policy is implemented.

• The Safety Committee will oversee monitoring of the efficacy of the policy and other measures to reduce stress and promote workplace health and safety. 

However there are ways to actually evade stressful situations and some are listed as follows:

You can learn how to manage job stress

There are a variety of steps you can take to reduce both your overall stress levels and the stress you find on the job and in the workplace. These include:

• Taking responsibility for improving your physical and emotional well-being.
• Avoiding pitfalls by identifying knee jerk habits and negative attitudes that add to the stress you experience at work.
• Learning better communication skills to ease and improve your relationships with management and coworkers.

Tip 1: Recognize warning signs of excessive stress at work

 

When you feel overwhelmed at work, you lose confidence and may become irritable or withdrawn. This can make you less productive and less effective in your job, and make the work seem less rewarding. If you ignore the warning signs of work stress, they can lead to bigger problems. Beyond interfering with job performance and satisfaction, chronic or intense stress can also lead to physical and emotional health problems.


 

Signs and symptoms of excessive job and workplace stress

§    Feeling anxious, irritable, or depressed §    Apathy, loss of interest in work §    Problems sleeping §    Fatigue Trouble concentrating

Muscle tension or headaches §    Stomach problems   §    Social withdrawal   Loss of sex drive Using alcohol or drugs to cope

Common causes of excessive workplace stress

§  Fear of being laid off

§  More overtime due to staff cutbacks

§  Pressure to perform to meet rising expectations but with no increase in job satisfaction

§  Pressure to work at optimum levels – all the time!


 

Tip 2: Reduce job stress by taking care of yourself 
 

When stress at work interferes with your ability to perform in your job, manage your personal life, or adversely impacts your health, it’s time to take action. Start by paying attention to your physical and emotional health. When your own needs are taken care of, you’re stronger and more resilient to stress. The better you feel, the better equipped you’ll be to manage work stress without becoming overwhelmed.

Taking care of yourself doesn’t require a total lifestyle overhaul. Even small things can lift your mood, increase your energy, and make you feel like you’re back in the driver’s seat. Take things one step at a time, and as you make more positive lifestyle choices, you’ll soon notice a reduction in your stress levels, both at home and at work.

Get moving

Regular exercise is a powerful stress reliever—even though it may be the last thing you feel like doing. Aerobic exercise—activity that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat—is a hugely effective way to lift your mood, increase energy, sharpen focus, and relax both the mind and body. For maximum stress relief, try to get at least 30 minutes of heart-pounding activity on most days. If it’s easier to fit into your schedule, break up the activity into two or three shorter segments.

Make food choices that keep you going

Low blood sugar can make you feel anxious and irritable, while eating too much can make you lethargic.Healthy eating can help you get through stressful work days. By eating small but frequent meals, you can help your body maintain an even level of blood sugar, keep your energy up, stay focused, and avoid mood swings.

Drink alcohol in moderation and avoid nicotine

Alcohol temporarily reduces anxiety and worry, but too much can cause anxiety as it wears off. Drinking to relieve job stress may also eventually lead to alcohol abuse and dependence. Similarly, smoking when you're feeling stressed and overwhelmed may seem calming, but nicotine is a powerful stimulant – leading to higher, not lower, levels of anxiety.

Get enough sleep

Not only can stress and worry can cause insomnia, but a lack of sleep can leave you vulnerable to even more stress. When you're well-rested, it's much easier to keep your emotional balance, a key factor in coping with job and workplace stress. Try to improve the quality of your sleep by keeping a sleep schedule and aiming for 8 hours a night.

Tip 3: Reduce job stress by prioritizing and organizing

When job and workplace stress threatens to overwhelm you, there are simple steps you can take to regain control over yourself and the situation. Your newfound ability to maintain a sense of self-control in stressful situations will often be well-received by coworkers, managers, and subordinates alike, which can lead to better relationships at work. Here are some suggestions for reducing job stress by prioritizing and organizing your responsibilities.

Time management tips for reducing job stress

§  Create a balanced schedule. Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. All work and no play is a recipe for burnout. Try to find a balance between work and family life, social activities and solitary pursuits, daily responsibilities and downtime.

§  Don’t over-commit yourself. Avoid scheduling things back-to-back or trying to fit too much into one day. All too often, we underestimate how long things will take. If you've got too much on your plate, distinguish between the "shoulds" and the "musts." Drop tasks that aren't truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.

§  Try to leave earlier in the morning. Even 10-15 minutes can make the difference between frantically rushing to your desk and having time to ease into your day. Don’t add to your stress levels by running late.

§  Plan regular breaks. Make sure to take short breaks throughout the day to take a walk or sit back and clear your mind. Also try to get away from your desk or work station for lunch. Stepping away from work to briefly relax and recharge will help you be more, not less, productive.

Task management tips for reducing job stress

§  Prioritize tasks. Make a list of tasks you have to do, and tackle them in order of importance. Do the high-priority items first. If you have something particularly unpleasant to do, get it over with early. The rest of your day will be more pleasant as a result.

§  Break projects into small steps. If a large project seems overwhelming, make a step-by-step plan. Focus on one manageable step at a time, rather than taking on everything at once.

§  Delegate responsibility. You don’t have to do it all yourself. If other people can take care of the task, why not let them? Let go of the desire to control or oversee every little step. You’ll be letting go of unnecessary stress in the process.

§  Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to contribute differently to a task, revise a deadline, or change their behavior at work, be willing to do the same. Sometimes, if you can both bend a little, you’ll be able to find a happy middle ground that reduces the stress levels for everyone concerned.

Tip 4: Reduce job stress by improving emotional intelligence

Learn to Recognize Hidden Stress

Even if you’re in a job where the environment has grown increasingly stressful, you can retain a large measure of self-control and self-confidence by understanding and practicing emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage and use your emotions in positive and constructive ways. When it comes to satisfaction and success at work, emotional intelligence matters just as much as intellectual ability. Emotional intelligence is about communicating with others in ways that draw people to you, overcome differences, repair wounded feelings, and defuse tension and stress.

Emotional intelligence in the workplace:

Emotional intelligence in the workplace has four major components:

§  Self-awareness – The ability to recognize your emotions and their impact while using gut feelings to guide your decisions.

§  Self-management – The ability to control your emotions and behavior and adapt to changing circumstances.

§  Social awareness – The ability to sense, understand, and react to other's emotions and feel comfortable socially.

§  Relationship management – The ability to inspire, influence, and connect to others and manage conflict.

The five key skills of emotional intelligence

There are five key skills that you need to master in order to raise your emotional intelligence and manage stress at work.

§  Realize when you’re stressed, recognize your particular stress response, and become familiar with sensual cues that can rapidly calm and energize you. The best way to reduce stress quickly is through the senses: through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. But each person responds differently to sensory input, so you need to find things that are soothing to you.

Stay connected to your internal emotional experience so you can appropriately manage your own emotions. Your moment-to-moment emotions influence your thoughts and actions, so pay attention to your feelings and factor them into your decision making at work. If you ignore your emotions you won’t be able to fully understand your own motivations and needs, or to communicate effectively with others.

§  Recognize and effectively use nonverbal cues and body language. In many cases, what we say is less important than how we say it or the other nonverbal signals we send out, such as eye contact, facial expression, tone of voice, posture, gesture and touch. Your nonverbal messages can either produce a sense of interest, trust, and desire for connection–or they can generate confusion, distrust, and stress. You also need to be able to accurately read and respond to the nonverbal cues that other people send you at work.§  Develop the capacity to meet challenges with humor. There is no better stress buster than a hearty laugh and nothing reduces stress quicker in the workplace than mutually shared humor. But, if the laugh is at someone else’s expense, you may end up with more rather than less stress.

§  Resolve conflict positively. Resolving conflict in healthy, constructive ways can strengthen trust between people and relieve workplace stress and tension. When handling emotionally-charged situations, stay focused in the present by disregarding old hurts and resentments, connect with your emotions, and hear both the words and the nonverbal cues being used. If a conflict can’t be resolved, choose to end the argument, even if you still disagree.

Tip 5: Reduce job stress by breaking bad habits 

As you learn to manage your job stress and improve your work relationships, you’ll have more control over your ability to think clearly and act appropriately. You will be able to break habits that add to your stress at work – and you’ll even be able to change negative ways of thinking about things that only add to your stress.

Eliminate self-defeating behaviors

Many of us make job stress worse with negative thoughts and behavior. If you can turn around these self-defeating habits, you’ll find employer-imposed stress easier to handle.

§  Resist perfectionism. No project, situation, or decision is ever perfect, so trying to attain perfection on everything will simply add unnecessary stress to your day. When you set unrealistic goals for yourself or try to do too much, you’re setting yourself up to fall short. Aim to do your best, no one can ask for more than that.

§  Clean up your act. If you’re always running late, set your clocks and watches fast and give yourself extra time. If your desk is a mess, file and throw away the clutter; just knowing where everything is saves time and cuts stress. Make to-do lists and cross off items as you accomplish them. Plan your day and stick to the schedule — you’ll feel less overwhelmed.

Flip your negative thinking. If you see the downside of every situation and interaction, you’ll find yourself drained of energy and motivation. Try to think positively about your work, avoid negative-thinking co-workers, and pat yourself on the back about small accomplishments, even if no one else does.

Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things at work are beyond our control— particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.

Five Ways to Dispel Stress

Take time away. When stress is mounting at work, try to take a quick break and move away from the stressful situation. Take a stroll outside the workplace if possible, or spend a few minutes meditating in the break room. Physical movement or finding a quiet place to regain your balance can quickly reduce stress.

Talk it over with someone. In some situations, simply sharing your thoughts and feelings with someone you trust can help reduce stress. Talking over a problem with someone who is both supportive and empathetic can be a great way to let off steam and relieve stress.

Connect with others at work. Developing friendships with some of your co-workers can help buffer you from the negative effects of stress. Remember to listen to them and offer support when they are in need as well.

Look for humor in the situation. When used appropriately, humor is a great way to relieve stress in the workplace. When you or those around you start taking things too seriously, find a way to lighten the mood by sharing a joke or funny story.

Tip 6: Learn how managers or employers can reduce job stress

It's in a manager's best interest to keep stress levels in the workplace to a minimum. Managers can act as positive role models, especially in times of high stress, by following the tips outlined in this article. If a respected manager can remain calm in stressful work situations, it is much easier for his or her employees to also remain calm.

Additionally, there are a number of organizational changes that managers and employers can make to reduce workplace stress. These include:

Improve communication

Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs and futures.

Clearly define employees’ roles and responsibilities.

Make communication friendly and efficient, not mean-spirited or petty.

Consult your employees

Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their jobs.

Consult employees about scheduling and work rules.

Be sure the workload is suitable to employees’ abilities and resources; avoid unrealistic deadlines.

Show that individual workers are valued.

Offer rewards and incentives.

Praise good work performance, both verbally and officially, through schemes such as Employee of the Month.

Provide opportunities for career development.

Promote an “entrepreneurial” work climate that gives employees more control over their work.

Cultivate a friendly social climate

Provide opportunities for social interaction among employees.

Establish a zero-tolerance policy for harassment.

Make management actions consistent with organizational values.

Sources of Stress

Preventing Burnout – When you’re burned out problems often seem insurmountable, but these tips and coping strategies can help you recover.

Stress Management – Manage stress by learning how to take charge of your thoughts, emotions, environment, and the way you deal with problems.

Stress Relief in the Moment – Identify your own stress responses and learn how to quickly and effectively reduce stress in the middle of any challenging situation.

Job Loss and Unemployment Stress – Find tips for staying positive during your job search and maintaining your spirits in tough times.

Career Help

Finding the Right Career – Discover how to find a career that fits your skills and interests, find the courage to make a change, and overcome obstacles to career happiness.

Effective Communication – Learn communication skills that will help improve teamwork, promote creativity and problem solving, and resolve conflicts at work.

Job Networking Tips – Networking is the best way to find a job and get career advice. While it may sound intimidating, it can actually be enjoyable—even if you’re shy or feel like you don’t know many people.

Interviewing Techniques and Tips – Do you feel uncomfortable selling yourself or fielding unexpected questions? Learn how to present yourself effectively to potential employers.