Occupational Health & Safety Environmnet: DEFINITION OF STRESS

HSE's formal definition of work related stress is:

"The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work."

Stress is not an illness – it is a state. However, if stress becomes too excessive and prolonged, mental and physical illness may develop.

Work is generally good for people if it is well designed, but it can also be a great source of pressure. There is a difference between pressure and stress. Pressure can be positive and a motivating factor, and is often essential in a job. It can help us achieve our goals and perform better. Stress occurs when this pressure becomes excessive. Stress is a natural reaction to too much pressure.

Balancing demands and pressures with skills and knowledge

A person experiences stress when they perceive that the demands of their work are greater than their ability to cope. Coping means balancing the demands and pressures placed on you (i.e. the job requirements) with your skills and knowledge (i.e. your capabilities). For example, if you give a member of your team a tight deadline on a project they feel they have neither the skills nor ability to do well, they may begin to feel undue pressure which could result in work related stress.

Stress can also result from having too few demands, as people will become bored, feel undervalued and lack recognition. If they feel they have little or no say over the work they do or how they do it, this may cause them stress.

Factors in stress

Stress affects people in different ways and what one person finds stressful can be normal to another. With each new situation a person will decide what the challenge is and whether they have the resources to cope. If they decide they don't have the resources, they will begin to feel stressed. How they appraise the situation will depend on various factors, including:

their background and culture;
their skills and experience;
their personality;
their personal circumstances;
their individual characteristics;
their health status;
their ethnicity, gender, age or disability; and
other demands both in and outside work.

As a manager you have a duty to ensure that work does not make your team ill. Understanding how to spot the signs of stress in your team, and then know what to do to reduce stress, will help you achieve this.

"For me it was a new boss. I found myself crying 'cos I couldn't keep up suddenly. Stress is where you can't cope, there's too much and you don't know what to focus on any more."
(Employee, London)

Causes of Stress

HSE has identified six factors that can lead to work related stress if they are not managed properly.

It is important to understand each of the six factors and how they are related to each other, as this can influence the amount of stress an individual experiences.

Management Standards

Demands:

Employees indicate that they are able to cope with the demands of their jobs.

Control:

Employees indicate that they are able to have a say about the way they do their work.

Support:

Employees indicate that they receive adequate information and support from their colleagues and superiors.

Relationships:

Employees indicate that they are not subjected to unacceptable behaviours, e.g. bullying at work.

Role:

Employees indicate that they understand their role and responsibilities.

Change:

Employees indicate that the organisation engages them frequently when undergoing an organisational change.

All:

Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns.

Key information about the six factors:

A person can reduce the impact of high demands if they have high control over their work.
The impact of high demands and low control can be reduced by having high levels of support, either from colleagues or from you as a manager.
Relationships can be one of the biggest sources of stress, especially problems like bullying and harassment
Problems with role are probably the easier problems to solve.
Change does not have to be at an organisational level to have an impact on individuals or teams, for example, changes in team members, line managers or the type of work or technology used by the team can be just as stressful.

Understanding that these six factors can cause stress for employees can help managers and employees to answer the questions:

Does my organisation or team have a problem with stress?
If 'yes', what do I need to do or change to reduce stress in my team?
If 'no' what do I need to do to prevent stress being a problem in the future?

We have established good practice guidance for each of these factors. We hope that this helps everyone take a proactive approach to preventing and managing stress in your workplace.

Signs and Symptoms

Stress can cause changes in those experiencing it. In some cases there are clear signs that people are experiencing stress at work and if these can be identified early, action can be taken before the pressure becomes a problem. This may make it easier to reduce and eliminate the causes.

It is important that everyone looks out for changes in a person's or a group's behaviour. However, in many cases the changes may only be noticeable to the person subject to the stress and so it is also important to look at how you are feeling and try to identify any potential issues you may have as early as possible and take positive action to address them; this may be raising the matter with a line manager, talking to an occupational health professional or your own GP.

Stress can show itself in many different ways - see below. Some of the items in this list may not be signs of stress if people always behave this way. Managers may need to manage staff exhibiting some of these signs differently. You are particularly looking for changes in the way people behave that could be linked with excessive pressures.

Male

Female

Signs of stress in individuals

If you are suffering from some of the following symptoms it may indicate that you are feeling the effects of stress. If you find that work or aspects of your work bring on or make these symptoms worse, speak to your line manager, trade union representative or your HR department. It may be that some action taken at an early stage will ease the stress and reduce or stop the symptoms.

Emotional symptoms

Negative or depressive feeling
Disappointment with yourself
Increased emotional reactions – more tearful or sensitive or aggressive
Loneliness, withdrawn
Loss of motivation commitment and confidence
Mood swings (not behavioural)

Mental

Confusion, indecision
Can’t concentrate
Poor memory

Changes from your normal behaviour

Changes in eating habits
Increased smoking, drinking or drug taking ‘to cope’
Mood swings effecting your behaviour
Changes in sleep patterns
Twitchy, nervous behaviour
Changes in attendance such as arriving later or taking more time off.

Please note these are indicators of behaviour of those experiencing stress. They may also be indicative of other conditions. If you are concerned about yourself please seek advice from your GP. If you are concerned about a colleague try to convince them to see their GP.

Signs of stress in a group

Disputes and disaffection within the group
Increase in staff turnover
Increase in complaints and grievances
Increased sickness absence
Increased reports of stress
Difficulty in attracting new staff
Poor performance
Customer dissatisfaction or complaints

It is not up to you or your managers to diagnose stress. If you or they are very worried about a person, recommend they see their GP. It is up to you and your managers to recognise that behaviours have changed, be aware that something is wrong and take prompt action. Take care not to over react to small changes in behaviour. You and your managers need to act when these behavioural changes continue. Use these symptoms (both individual and group) as clues.

Occupational Health & Safety Environmnet

Sunday, January 30, 2011

DEFINITION OF STRESS