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Pull an elastic band too far - it snaps
Building a resilient workforce to manage pressure effectively
'Resilience' is the new buzzword for the process of adapting
well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or other
'stressors'. It's how we 'bounce back' from difficult
situations. And fortunately resilience isn't a characteristic
that we either do or don't have. It involves behaviours,
thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed.
Studies have shown that the most important factors in building
resilience include: * having caring and supportive relationships
* the ability to make realistic plans and take steps to carry
them out * possessing a positive self-view * confidence in your
strengths and abilities * good communication skills * being able
to manage strong feelings and impulses * strong problem-solving
abilities
So if these are the qualities we need to increase our resilience
as individuals, what lessons can we learn in terms of the
characteristics and culture required to build a 'resilient'
organisation?
Building resilience by reducing stress Because our working lives
are becoming increasingly stressful, in November 2004 the Health
and Safety Executive announced its new Management Standards for
work-related stress, which are designed to help ensure that
organisations address key aspects of workplace stress (or 'risk
factors') including demands, control, support, relationships,
role and change. For each risk factor, the Management Standards
include a description of what should be happening in an
organisation (or 'states to be achieved') in order for the
standard to be met. 'Demands', for example, includes issues like
workload, work patterns and the work environment. States to be
achieved are that: * The organisation provides employees with
adequate and achievable demands in relation to the agreed hours
of work * People's skills and abilities are matched to the job
demands * Jobs are designed to be within the capabilities of
employees * Employees' concerns about their work environment are
addressed
The guidance centres around carrying out a risk assessment for
stress (this is also a legal requirement), the results of which
should highlight problem areas that need to be addressed in
order to reduce (or ideally remove the causes of) stress.
But while the Management Standards provide a foundation for
stress reduction, there are many other actions that
organisations should also consider in order to increase its
resilience, some of the most important of which include the
following:
Commitment to stress management A Stress Policy should be
implemented in conjunction with staff liaison groups, and
commitment should begin at the most senior level and be cascaded
downwards. There's little point in introducing stress management
training for line managers, for example, if senior managers have
little or no commitment to minimising or eliminating excessive
pressure within the organisation.
Recruitment and selection When recruiting it's important that
both the organisation and applicant understand the requirements
of the post and potential pressures involved. One conclusion of
a landmark Court of Appeal case in February 2002 was that 'there
are no occupations that should be regarded as intrinsically
dangerous to mental health'. It's therefore essential to combine
an appropriate selection policy with sufficient job-specific and
practical training - to enable individuals to carry out their
jobs within their capabilities and with the minimum of stress.
Management style Effective communication is often neglected in
management training, yet it's essential to good management - by
reducing misunderstanding and the opportunity for discontent.
Effective communication includes active listening skills -
engaging with the person you're listening to and responding
appropriately. Good communication at all levels will help ensure
that everyone in the organisation can work with confidence -
reducing the opportunities for stress to develop.
Work-related training Many organisations face sudden changes in
work demands, and employees need the necessary training and
experience to meet the ever-increasing demands made on them.
Examples include training in resilience, time management,
communication skills, etc. Training in communication (and
particularly active listening) skills is essential to help
ensure that managers are aware of their team members' problems
and in a position to offer early interventions to resolve these.
Stress awareness and stress management training For stress
management to become integral to corporate culture, initiatives
must be introduced that will raise awareness of work-related
stress. In particular, recognising the early warning signs and
symptoms should become integral to management strategy. This can
be achieved by monitoring sickness absence (especially
short-term), carrying out confidential staff surveys, observing
working relationships (especially team dynamics), and
questioning changes in attitude and behaviour.
Stress management training can then build on this by teaching
employees about the nature and sources of stress, its effects on
health, and the personal skills needed to reduce it. Training
may also help reduce stress symptoms such as anxiety and sleep
disturbances, and has the added advantage of being relatively
inexpensive.
Employees also need to know how to raise concerns about work
pressure (informally and formally) - for example by speaking to
their supervisor or manager, through an existing grievance
procedure, or under a
dedicated stress policy. The key is that
employees should find it as easy and unthreatening as possible
to speak up about stress at work, and should be able to do so
without fear of recrimination or any other negative outcomes.
Mediation and negotiation In mediation, the parties in a dispute
express their views on a contentious matter, establish common
ground, and move towards a solution that's acceptable to all. In
negotiation, the aim is to reach agreement on a course of action
that satisfies at least some of the claims of both sides. Access
to mediation and negotiation are therefore vital in enabling
workplace disputes to be resolved before they escalate into
stress-inducing or bullying behaviours which can be much more
difficult to resolve.
Rehabilitation back to work Where employees have been forced to
take time away from work as a result of stress, their
rehabilitation back to work needs to be carefully managed. For
those employees who require specialist support, Employee
Assistance Programmes and counselling services are a vital
component in employee well being.
Employee counselling In February 2002, the Court of Appeal
ruled, inter alia, that 'any employer who offered a confidential
counselling service was unlikely to be found in breach of duty
of care, by the courts'. Counselling should therefore be
regarded as an intervention to be included alongside other
supportive services available to employees.
First contact counselling teams These teams are made up of
volunteers (from the organisation) who are trained in basic
counselling skills, and receive ongoing training and
supervision. They're often used as a 'first contact' for
employees, for whom they can provide an active listening service
and help to deal with work-related problems such as stress,
bullying, change and mediation.
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) An EAP offers employees
access to a confidential counselling and information service,
and to be effective must have the backing of senior management.
However, although it can play an important role in helping to
deal with stress-related problems, it should not detract from
the importance of line managers actively listening to their
staff. Nor must an application to the EAP be misinterpreted by
managers as suggesting a lack of confidence in their own ability
to deal with stress-related issues.
What shouldn't you do? Depending on the nature of your
organisation, concierge services, or complementary therapies
such as reflexology, yoga, massage etc, may also be of benefit.
Typically, however, they should be incorporated within an
holistic approach to reducing work-related stress and increasing
resilience - rather than being expected to resolve underlying
problems on their own. If an organisation introduces these types
of 'stress-busting' initiatives without a solid foundation of
stress management training and employee counselling support,
they risk adding to problems of work-related stress - through
frustration, disillusion, and a belief amongst employees that
the true causes of stress aren't being taken seriously, and the
organisation is simply paying lip service to the problem.
Ultimately, reducing workplace stress and building resilience is
largely a matter of common sense and good management practice,
and simply requires employers and employees to work together for
the common good. Both share a joint responsibility for reducing
stress - which, when this is successful, can help employees to
enjoy their work more, and businesses to thrive as a result.
For this to become a reality, organisations need to work towards
the creation of a 'healthy', resilient work culture - one where
there is an intelligent two-way dialogue between managers and
employees; where concerns can be raised in the confidence that
actions will be taken; and where everyone in the organisation
recognises stress as an unnecessary and unacceptable drain on
creativity and resources. Or to put it another way, a culture
where healthy ways of working have become so ingrained that the
need for the Management Standards will no longer exist.
About The Author
Carole Spiers combines three roles of broadcaster, journalist
and corporate manager in the challenging field of stress
management and employee wellbeing.
With 20 years as a top industry guru on stress management and
wellbeing, Carole's energy and dynamism extends to providing
professional comment to media including television (BBC, ITV,
Sky, NBC, CNN), print (Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, trade and
professional journals) and countless radio interviews.
A successful entrepreneur herself, Carole is the founder and MD
of the Carole Spiers Group - a dynamic, niche consultancy, and
the UK's No. 1 provider of Stress Management and Employee
Wellbeing from the shop floor to the Boardroom
A former Chairperson of the International Stress Management
AssociationUK, Carole was instrumental in establishing National
Stress Awareness Day™. Carole acts as an Expert Witness on
Stress Risk Assessment before the Courts, and is the author of
Tolley's 'Managing Stress in the Workplace'
About the author:
Carole Spiers combines three roles of Broadcaster, Journalist
and Corporate Manager in the challenging field of stress
management and employee wellbeing. Over the past 20 years, she
has built up her corporate stress consultancy Carole Spiers
Group (CSG) Carole is frequently called upon by the national and
international media and provides keynote presentations on
stress-related issues.
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