| In the
past interventions have mainly
been as effective as, "closing
the stable door after the horse
has bolted", at which point
monetary cost to the organisation,
per employee, is inevitably
high.
There is now a recognised way
forward, which is already proven
on a monetary level alone to
provide a high return on the
initial investment - a ratio
reported as high as 1:9 (that
is £9 re-couped for every
£1 invested) in some companies.
There are three main thrusts
to tackling stress in the work
place:
1. Undertaking
a stress audit as part of a
risk assessment process
2. Undertaking
individual risk assessments
3. Creating
a management environment aware
of causes of stress and which
takes actions to avoid them
Primary - eliminate or reduce
the sources of stress by assessing
risks and changing the environment
(physical and mental).
Secondary - help managers and
individuals understand stress
and its causes and effects and
to take actions to avoid and
manage stress.
Tertiary - assist individuals
suffering from stress usually
with an emphasis on altering
the individual's situation or
perception rather than addressing
the cause.
An ISMA study highlighted that
ignorance was the major barrier
to doing something about work
related stress:
- 48% said that it was due
to lack of line management
commitment
- 34% because of lack of senior
management commitment and
...
- 46% of the respondents believed
that they had been unsuccessful
in introducing stress management
initiatives because of the
stigma of stress in their
organisation.
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