Management to Play Key Role in Stress Reduction
June 11th, 2009Stress is a health wrecker, as is shown by the fact that between 1990 and 2007, ill health at work due to stress doubled and made it the second biggest reason behind employee absenteeism.
The long-term effects of stress range from mental illnesses to physical conditions like cardiac ailments, back pain and headaches. The future doesn’t look any brighter with the World Health Organisation stating that stress levels are only set to increase thanks to recession. A Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) study reveals, out of the 3000 employees surveyed, over 50% felt more stressed at work due to the economic slump.
This has motivated the CIPD, in collaboration with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Investors in People (IIP) to issue a guidance termed ‘Line Management Behaviour and Stress at Work’, based on research from evaluations of employers and employees, along with assessments of managerial competence to manage stress in 17 organisations. The guidance has highlighted four key behaviours that will aid in stress reduction namely, managing demanding situations, administrating and sharing present and future tasks, controlling individuals within a group and containing emotions while preserving integrity. This initiative is part of a four year plan to help organisations reduce stress levels at their offices by ascertaining certain managerial behaviour. For anyone involved in human resources management, training and development contact the experts at Workplace Law about CIPD training.
Proponents of the scheme, like Ben Willmott, Senior Public Policy Adviser at the CIPD, believe that the research and guidance prove that stress management is an indispensable element of good organisation. The devotion of resources to impart training to managers to improve their stress management skills yields dividends in the form of less tension at work, better productivity and more motivation and commitment from the employees.
