Who is responsible for tackling work related stress in the organisation?

Board directors/CEOs

It is important that individuals across the organisation see that their Directors/CEO believe in this issue; without their commitment, it is unlikely that measures to tackle this problem will be effective. The Directors’ roles and responsibilities include:

• To understand what work related stress is, what causes it and how it can be prevented and managed
• To champion action to tackle work related stress – e.g. signing communications, attending seminars etc
• To lead by example – e.g. demonstrating a commitment to work–life balance initiatives by not working excessive hours
• To provide commitment to tackling this issue, including providing necessary resources to undertake the Management Standards or equivalent process and to implement solutions identified
• To support Human Resources Managers and Health and Safety Managers in taking action to prevent and manage stress.

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Health and safety managers

Health and Safety managers are central to processes to prevent and manage stress. They are key to ensuring that the risk of work related stress is properly identified and managed. They will need to work with their HR department in tackling this issue. Depending on how the organisation divides responsibilities, different tasks may be more the Health and Safety manager’s responsibility or the HR manager’s responsibility. Health and Safety Managers’ roles and responsibilities include:

• To understand what work related stress is, what causes it and how it can be prevented and managed
• To engage and communicate with staff about this issue and raise awareness – this may include working with trade unions
• To undertake the Management Standards or equivalent approach to identify the hazards and extent of stress in your organisation and what solutions you are going to implement to improve the situation
• To work with others, including your HR department, in implementing solutions identified by staff
• To monitor and review solutions and your procedures
• To ensure you collect evidence of your risk assessment for work related stress to show inspectors
• To support line managers in preventing and managing individuals with work related stress
• To work with others providing services to support individuals, for example, occupational health services, to identify sources of problems that need action and to manage successful return to work
• To identify additional policies and initiatives that may promote health and well-being.

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Human resources managers

Human Resources managers are central to processes to prevent and manage stress. They are key to ensuring that policies and procedures are developed and implemented. They need to work with the Health and Safety department in tackling stress, and, depending on how the organisation divides responsibilities, different tasks may be the HR manager’s responsibility or the Health and Safety manager's responsibility. HR managers’ roles and responsibilities include:

• To understand what work related stress is, what causes it and how it can be prevented and managed
• To develop suitable policies to tackle this issue in your organisation
• To engage and communicate with staff about this issue and raise awareness – this may include working with trade unions
• To undertake the Management Standards or equivalent approach to identify the extent of stress in your organisation and what solutions you are going to implement to improve the situation
• To work with others, including your H&S department, in implementing solutions identified by staff
• To monitor and review solutions, and your policies and procedures
• To support line managers in preventing and managing individuals experiencing stress, including helping them return to work
• To work with others providing services to support individuals, for example, occupational health services to identify sources of problems that need action and to manage successful return to work
• To identify additional policies and initiatives that may promote health and well-being.

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Line managers

Line managers are crucial to the successful prevention and management of work related stress within their team. They tend to be the first port of call when there is a problem and they are in an ideal position to be able to identify and manage stress. But the way they behave can also be part of the problem; if a manager has the appropriate skills they are better able to deal with stress within the team. Line managers’ roles and responsibilities include:

• To understand what work related stress is, what causes it and how it can be prevented and managed
• To engage and communicate with staff about stress and raise awareness
• To be aware of your organisation’s policies and procedures on this issue
• To support and get involved in organisational initiatives to tackle stress, for example, encouraging staff to complete questionnaires, attend focus groups or suggest solutions
• To understand your role in preventing and managing work related stress, and that you can sometimes cause or exacerbate it
• To be aware of your competencies in managing and preventing this issue and how this can impact on staff, as well as taking action to improve your competencies
• To identify potential causes of stress before they become a problem
• To identify work related stress in your team members early and work with the individual and human resources in resolving the problem
• To support staff to prevent work related stress and to help them manage it once it occurs, including providing access to relevant support services
• To identify and implement solutions that will prevent work related stress in your teams
• To help staff return successfully to work after work related stress successfully
• To be aware and supportive of factors 2011-01-04 team

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Employees

Employees have a responsibility to raise concerns and tell their manager or representative about possible problems and sources of stress. If the organisation is not aware of a problem it can be difficult for action to be taken. Employees' roles and responsibilities include:

• To understand what work related stress is, what causes it and how it can be prevented and managed
• To raise awareness about this issue with your colleagues and prevent stigma. This includes taking the issue seriously
• To be aware of your organisation's policies and procedures on this issue
• To identify potential causes of stress for yourself or your colleagues before they become a problem and to raise them with your line manager or other suitable individuals, this may include, where appropriate, sources of stress outside of work
• To identify early when you or your colleagues are beginning to experience excessive pressure that may lead to work related stress and raise this with your line manager or HR so they can help in resolving the problem
• To work with your manager or HR department in tackling the issue, for example, identifying solutions you think may help
• To support and get involved in organisational initiatives to tackle this issue, for example, completing questionnaires, attending focus groups or suggesting solutions
• To be supportive of colleagues experiencing work related stress
• To work with your line manager or HR department in identifying solutions to help you return to work effectively and quickly

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Trade unions representatives

Trade unions are key to ensuring that an organisation engages with staff over stress and uses staff suggestions in developing its solutions. Trade Union representatives may be the first port of call for staff experiencing problems, particularly if the line management chain is part of the problem. Trade Union Representatives’ roles and responsibilities include:

• To understand what work related stress is, what causes it and how it can be prevented and managed
• To encourage your organisation to tackle this issue and gain commitment to it
• To engage and communicate with staff about this issue and raise awareness
• To work with your organisation in developing an approach, policies and procedures to tackle it, e.g. supporting the organisation to undertake the Management Standards or equivalent approach to identify problem areas and solutions
• To work with others, including your HR and H&S department, in implementing solutions identified by staff
• To monitor and review solutions and your procedures
• To encourage staff to identify and address sources of stress early and to work with their line manager, your representative or other relevant individuals in doing this
• To provide support to individuals experiencing work related stress, help them talk to their line manager about the problem, and direct them to suitable services to help them tackle this issue, for example, occupational health services
• To work with the organisation in identifying additional policies and initiatives that may promote health and well-being.

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Occupational health services

Occupational Health Providers have a particular role in working with individuals who are experiencing work related stress and helping them remain at work or return to work successfully. However, they also have a role in supporting the organisation by providing access to information to help identify particular problems or trends that may need to be addressed. Occupational Health Provider's roles and responsibilities include:

• To understand what work related stress is, what causes it and how it can be prevented and managed
• To provide support to individuals experiencing work related stress, for example, help them talk to their line manager, identify and advise on possible solutions and direct them to suitable additional services
• To help individuals return to work successfully, for example, by advising on return to work strategies
• To support the organisation in preventing work related stress by providing anonymous reports with information about trends and sources of stress they can use to identify solutions
• To work with the organisation in identifying additional policies and initiatives that may promote health and well-being.