ìWeíve got to get employers recognising and understanding the price of wrongly pressurising their staff, and the role they have to play in preventing stress in the workplace,î Lisa Fowlie, the new President of IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) said in her address to IOSHís Annual Dinner.
ìStress is still widely misunderstood as being just a psychological problem, but people need to understand that it also has physical and behavioural effects. Without being able to recognise the signs and symptoms of stress. individuals and managers will not be able to detect and manage it effectively.î
And Lisa warned employers that they too had to do more to understand and prevent stress: ìI want employers to start thinking that ëpressure management prevents stressí and to remember, that stress isnít only affecting the health of one person and their personal productivity, but it can also affect those around them ñ their work colleagues, their family and their friends.î
Lisa added that it was sometimes relatively easy to relieve pressure at work: ìMinor adjustments are often enough to significantly reduce the threat from stress. Ensuring staff have a sympathetic ear is always a good starting point, but allowing more flexibility in working hours and adopting family friendly policies helps everyone, especially parents and those with care responsibilities.
ìEven changing annual leave to run with each individualís date of birth instead of on a calendar date removes the ëmad rushí and the ëreduced staffing levelsí as all staff try to use up their leave at the year end, producing the potential for organisations to be overstretched.î
But Lisa recognises that health and safety practitioners need the skills and support of others to tackle stress and occupational health issues: ìWe have to work in partnership with human resource managers, occupational health professionals and other specialists to prevent and tackle stress. Stress is something that needs a united front, and the 30,000 IOSH members can play a key role in preventing and managing stress in the workplace.
ìIOSH will be launching an occupational health toolkit at our annual conference in March, and this will give health and safety practitioners an additional resource to play a greater role in tackling stress.î
Donít pay the price of stress
Weíve got to get employers recognising and understanding the price of wrongly pressurising their staff
