New guide to tackle stress at work
The government this week launched a major initiative to help employers manage stress in the workplace, after research showed rising levels of work-related stress and associated costs.
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The Health and Safety Executive has published a guide The Management Standards for Work-related Stress
that it hopes will help company management deal more effectively with stress at work.
Jane Kennedy, minister for work, said: ‘This is a very practical example of what can be done to demonstrate how easy it can be to reduce the causes of work related stress.’
HSE commissioned research revealed that over half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress in 2001/2 at a level they believe is making them ill, with up to five million people in the UK feel ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressed by their work.
Work-related stress costs society about £3.7bn every year with over 13 million days a year lost, according to the research.
Hugh Robertson of the Trade Union Congress said: ‘In the absence of legislation, these standards are the most effective tool that employers can use to help end the epidemic of stress-related illnesses. We hope employers will work with safety representatives and stewards to use the standards.’