Stress Strategy

Developing a Stress Management Strategy - the steps:

•Understand the legal issues - your duty of care

•Carry out a stress audit (formal or informal) as part of your risk assessment

•Develop a policy and disseminate it so that employees know the company's position on stress

•Train line managers - stress is a line issue. Even where stress is the result of issues outside of work, how the manager handles the problem is his responsibility. Include a module on recognising and dealing with stress as part of management inductions - run workshops for managers

•Identify groups with susceptibility to stress - use questionnaires, monitor sickness etc - run workshops

•Run seminars and include ongoing training for all employees on causes, symptoms and coping strategies

•Offer individual stress coaching or counselling

•Remember your people ARE your business. Create an environment where looking after yourself is part of the culture, where people are asked for their ideas, and their concerns are listened to.