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Working Minds Is Working Well
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health has become the latest partner on the Working Minds campaign which is booming since it was launched to...
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Tackle Workplace Stress In Five Steps In Five Weeks
With what is left of April, Britain’s bosses are being invited to follow five simple steps to prevent and reduce stress in their workplace.
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Working Minds campaign has called on employers to support workers mental health during Stress Awareness Month.
Liz Goodwill, head of the work-related stress and mental health policy team at the HSE, says: “We are inviting business owners, employers and managers to join others across Britain to make a difference during Stress Awareness Month in five steps.”
Employers are encouraged to focus on one of the campaign’s 5 Rs for each of five weeks. They are: to Reach out and have conversations, Recognise the signs and causes of stress, Respond to any risks you’ve identified, Reflect on actions you’ve agreed and taken, and make it Routine.
It's the law
Preventing work-related stress isn’t just the right thing to do by workers, it’s the law. All employers are required to prevent work related stress to support good mental health in the workplace.
The Working Minds campaign brings together a range of tools and support to help businesses and workers including free online learning, Talking Toolkits, risk assessment templates and examples.
Goodwill adds: “Failing to manage work-related stress can cost employers in reduced productivity, sickness absence costs or even losing a valued member of the team. Employers are required to assess the risk of work-related stress having an impact on their workers and act on the risks identified.
“As well as guiding you step by step, we provide all the practical templates, tools and resources you need to get started. You can use it as an opportunity to review what you already do. A huge part of this is making it part of your everyday working life, not just a one-off tick box that gets forgotten about.”
Qualification
The CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, and The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) is the latest organisations to join as campaign partners, taking the total supporters to more than 30.
Rachel Suff, senior policy advisor, employee relations at the CIPD, says: “Many organisations are reactive and tend to put more emphasis on providing support when people become ill rather than on prevention, including for mental ill health and stress. We want to see every organisation taking a proactive approach to employee wellbeing. We’re supporting the Working Minds campaign to help employers to create the working conditions and environment that prevents stress and supports good mental health. That also means designing jobs with realistic workloads and targets and encouraging people to have a healthy work-life balance.”
Stress causers
There are six main areas that can lead to work-related stress if they are not managed properly. These are: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. Factors such as skills and experience, age or disability may all affect someone’s ability to cope.
Matt Powell-Howard, head of product development at NEBOSH, says: “I’m really pleased that NEBOSH is supporting the Working Minds campaign as we are committed to promoting good mental health and preventing work-related stress. We were delighted to have also collaborated with the HSE on the development of the NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Managing Stress at Work qualification, which is designed to help business meet their legal obligations in this area.”
If you are an employer looking for free bitesize learning to help reduce stress at work – Click Here
You can also:
Use a Talking Toolkit to help structure your conversations.
Download a risk assessment template to develop your processes for preventing or managing stressors.
Find out about NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Managing Stress at Work
Sign up to the monthly newsletter to help you champion the Working Minds campaign beyond April.
Picture: It’s Stress Awareness Month – what can you do to help?
Article written by Cathryn Ellis
14th April 2024