Managing The Risk Of Workplace Stress

Based on original research findings, it provides a comprehensive source of theoretical and practical information for students and practitioners alike.

Working in a stressful environment not only increases the risk of physical illness or distress, but also increases the likelihood of workplace accidents. While legislation provides some guidelines for risk assessment of physical hazards, there remains limited guidance on the risks of psychosocial hazards, such as occupational stress. This book takes the risk management approach to stress evaluation in the workplace, offering practical guidelines for the audit, assessment and mitigation of workplace stressors. Based on research and case studies, this book provides a comprehensive source of theoretical and practical information for students and practitioners alike. It includes chapters on: * environmental stress factors * psychological stress factors * work-related accidents * job stress evaluation methods With its up-to-date approach to a fascinating area of study, this is key reading for all students of organizational psychology and those responsible for workplace safety.

Today’s evolving world of work makes it imperative for employers to manage psychosocial hazards (PSH) and risks leading to work-related stress. This book contains essential, general, and country-specific information and templates for the successful management of hazards to prevent psychological harm in the workplace. Acknowledged as global issues affecting all workers and industries, PSH are work factors that have the potential to lead to physical or psychological injury and stress, relating to how work is designed, organized, and managed, and to work relationships and interactions. This book advances the idea that management of PSH, and psychological health and safety, is part of the duty of care of today’s responsible and ethical employers to employees, and that U.S. employers should recognize this responsibility. Clear and easy to follow, this guide presents comprehensive information on addressing PSH, discussing measures taken internationally (laws, guidance, and resources from Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Japan), and a new global standard on psychological health and safety at work. (Note: At times within this book, and Part II in particular, punctuation may be added to quoted provisions for ease of reading and for consistency.) Practitioners and students in the fields of management, occupational health and safety, human resource management, ethics and compliance, occupational health psychology, and organizational psychology will come away with a deeper understanding of the importance of PSH and their management.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has commissioned recent research which has indicated that: . about half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill; . up to 5 million people in the UK feel "very" or "extremely" stressed by their work; and . a total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004/5. Work-related stress is therefore a serious problem and tackling it effectively can result in significant benefits for organizations. This can result in a happier and more productive workforce with fewer days away from work with stress related illnesses. Managers will also want to comply with recent HSE advice on managing stress within the workplace fulfilling their duty of care to employees. This should result in less exposure of organisations to the threat of litigation and the resultant negative publicity this causes. The intention of this book is to provide information to those who may be suffering from work related stress and to provide managers with a "toolkit" to help address such problems in the workforce.

Based on the Management Standards, this new guide will help you, your employees and their representatives manage the issue sensibly and minimise the impact of work-related stress on your business. It might also help you improve how your organisation performs.

Work-related stress and resulting sickness absence costs the UK economy about £3.7 billion every year (HSE research). In this jargon-free guide, Jeremy Stranks explains what stress is and what causes it, how people respond to stress and cope with it, how stress can be evaluated and managed and what employers’ legal responsibilities are. Written for managers, HR professionals and safety reps, the emphasis of this book is strongly on practical advice and solutions. The author provides simple tools to measure and assess stress and shows how to deal with a range of stress-creating workplace situations, such as bullying, harassment and violence at work. The book also details how to implement a stress management system that complies with the new HSE Management Standards to avoid civil claims and criminal sanctions by the enforcement agencies. End of chapter key points draw out the implications of the preceding text for the employer and an executive summary shows the main aspects that senior management have to be aware of. In addition, the book contains forms and templates to help with managing stress. These are also available for download on the companion website. Stress at Work will also be a valuable reference for students on the following courses as part of modules concerned with Human Factors: NEBOSH Certificate and Diploma courses, MSc courses in Occupational Health and Safety Management, IOSH Managing Safely, British Safety Council diploma and NVQ level 3 and 4 courses in Occupational Safety and Health. Jeremy Stranks has 40 years of experience in occupational safety and health enforcement, management, consultancy and training. He is a founding member of NEBOSH and has lectured on numerous training courses on all aspects of health and safety. His company Safety and Hygiene Consultants offers companies advice in drawing up Health and Safety policies, writing risk assessments and audit procedures.

This book provides a sound understanding of stress from organizational, managerial and individual perspectives. It is an ideal guide for managers, HR and OH professionals with responsibility for stress management. In order to remain competitive, avoid risk, and be employers of choice, organisations must discover the causes of stress and mitigate them, formulate robust policies and procedures, create an appropriate culture and climate, and support stressed individuals. This book acts as a handbook for all aspects of managing stress. It includes latest cutting-edge thinking developed at Henley Management College and up to date examples and case studies.