Health and Safety Executive Health and Safety Executive Debbie Thiara Senior Policy Advisor HSE...

Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

Debbie ThiaraSenior Policy AdvisorHSE Health & Work DivisionEmail: debbie.thiara@hse.gsi.gov.uk

For more information visit www.hse.gov.uk/stress

HSE’s Management Standards for

work-related stress

What is work-related stress

HSE definition:

“…the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them.”

Scale of the problem

• 13.8 million working days lost

• 245,000 new cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety reported in the previous 12 months

• Around 530,000 individuals believed they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill

• Each case leads to an average of 29 days off work

Labour Force Survey

SWI Estimated incidence of stress, depression or anxiety(for people employed in the last 12 months)

Baseline

Target

150,000

170,000

190,000

210,000

230,000

250,000

270,000

290,000

2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08

Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

Work-related stress, depression & anxiety:

Industry statistics

Source: Labour Force Surveys, three year average 2004/05 to 2006/07

Incidence (new cases) of work-related stress, depression and anxiety, by industry sector: Rates per 100,000 employed

430

230

490

570

650

1110

620

1290

950

1050

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Manufacturing

Construction

Wholesale & retail

Hotels & restaurants

Transport, storage and communications

Financial intermediation

Real estate, renting & business

Public administration & defence

Education

Health and social work

Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

Work-related stress, depression & anxiety:

Occupational group statistics

Occupations with high incidence (new cases) of work-related stress, depression and anxiety:

Rate per 100,000 employed

Occupation Rate

Health and social services managers 2270

Financial institution & office managers 1620

Protective service occupations 1350

Teaching & research professionals 1330

Managers in distribution, storage and retailing 1060

Business and public service professionals 1060

Administrative occupations in government 1050

All known occupations 680

“ Teachers and research professionals are amongst the most high risk occupations for work-related stress ”

Source: Labour Force Surveys, three year average 2004/05 to 2006/07

Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

Work-related stress, depression & anxiety:

Stressful job statistics

“ More education sector workers report having high-stress jobs than across all industry – the pattern over time is similar. ”

Source: Psychosocial Working Conditions survey report 2007

Percentage of employees reporting that their job is very or extremely stressful

15.814.3

1213.6

28.7

21.6

16.1

19.1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2004 2005 2006 2007

Year

%

All industries

Education

Legal requirement

• Duties under two pieces of legislation– Management of Health and Safety at Work

Regulations 1999– The Health and Safety at Work etc Act

1974

• Demands

• Control

• Support

• Relationships

• Role

• Change

The Management Standards

Model of work stress

Demands

CULTURE

Control

Support

Role

Relationship

Change

EMPLOYEES

Individual symptoms:• Raised blood pressure• Sleep & gastrointestinal disturbance• Increase alcohol/ caffeine intake• Increased irritability & negative emotions• Back pain: tension• Palpitations; headaches

Organisational Symptoms:• Increased sickness absence• Long hours culture• Increased staff turnover• Reduced staff performance• Reduced staff morale and loyalty• Increased hostility

• Coronary heart disease• RSI• Depression & anxiety• Burnout

• Increased overheads• Reduced profits• Increased accidents• Increased litigation

Palmer, Cooper & Thomas (2004)

HSG218 (2007)

The Management Standards Approach

Ph ase 1

• Started April 2005

• Approx 70 organisations from priority sectors

• Support from HSE inspectors, Occupational Psychologists, ACAS Senior Advisors

Stress Implementation Plan

• Series of workshops, Healthy Workplace Solutions

• From Sept 2006 to March 2007

• Help and advice on the Management Standards

• Over 1480 delegates representing over 1000 organisations

Ph ase 2

Stress Implementation Plan

• 56% agreed that the workshop has enabled them to present a convincing case for managing sickness absence.

• 72% agreed that the workshop gave them the knowledge they needed to take forward the management standards approach.

• 62% agreed that the workshop enabled them to convince other managers that changes in the way they manage stress and sickness absence are necessary.

Impact of the workshops

Stress Masterclasses

Initial feedback– Overwhelming desire to take advantage of any

help available – About 25% wanted to overcome difficulties in

securing management commitment.– Around 80% were still at an early stage of

securing management commitment. – 92% of delegates felt that at least some of their

requirements had been met but more than half (52%) still had some unanswered questions.

New Guidance

• Published in November 2007

• Aimed primarily at organisations of 50 people or more

• Cost £10.95• But it does include a

CD Rom!

Summary

• Data suggests that the management of work-related stress remains a challenge

• HSE will continue to work with others to promote the use of the Management Standards approach

• Future focus will be on a more holistic approach to the issue of health at work

2008 and beyond

• Further series of HWS workshops

• New revamped HSE stress webpages

• Targeting CEOs and Directors of public and private sector organisations with 500+ employees

Further information

• Visit the HSE stress web pages

www.hse.gov.uk/stress

• Email us:

stressteam@hse.gsi.gov.uk