4.13 Stress

Introduction

Stress is what we sometimes experience when we feel we cannot cope with pressures and demands placed upon us in our lives.

Stress-related problems can have many contributory causes arising from home or domestic life, work, or in individuals' personal and social lives, some time called stressors, Stress in one area of a person's life can lead to stresses in other areas, and on its own is a symptom rather than a medically diagnosed condition.

Stress is not the same as pressure, it can result from pressure. Various situations and environments can cause different pressures, and as individuals we vary in our capacity and ability to cope with different types of pressure. Some pressures can be motivating and challenging, a positive. Pressures that we respond to effectively are likely to lead to greater overall satisfaction in life. However, pressures that we cannot cope with either because they are too great, or in some cases too little, may result in stress for the individual.

The University recognises that intense, repeated or prolonged stress can result in ill health. In addition, people suffering from stress can cause additional risks to themselves or others, for example through loss of concentration or abnormal behaviour.

Purpose

This document sets out university policy and arrangements to deal with the negative aspects of stress that may be experienced by staff arising from or increased by the working environment only, though offers guidance and support to all staff who feel they are being affected by any stressor, and managers who are responsible for managing others that feel stressed.

It also contains guidance about the nature and causes of work related pressure and the actions that can be taken to minimise it.

Principles

1. The university places a high value on creating a healthy and safe working environment for all its staff and recognises that this duty of care extends to mental health as well as physical health at work.

2. The university is committed to ensuring that work related stress is minimised at source to the lowest level that is reasonably practicable. It recognises that this involves developing a culture where management and staff are aware of the nature, causes and effects of stress, and the priority given to this issue by senior management.

3. The university aims to develop a culture that ensures early identification and management of stress where staff are able to raise, discuss and resolve issues. The university will provide training and support to help managers and staff recognise the symptoms of stress and take positive measures to manage stress effectively.

4. The university will ensure that individuals who are identified as particularly at risk from stress are provided with appropriate management and health care whilst recognising the need for confidentially to be maintained.

5. The university will monitor the scale of stress at work and the effectiveness of its measures to reduce it.

Responsibilities

Managers, ie members of the VCEG, CMT and Heads of departments, must ensure that the health of their staff is not adversely affected by their work. They must adopt the principles and arrangements set out in this policy and treat work-related stress as a health and safety risk factor. They must

organise and plan to minimise work related stress as far as reasonably practicable including ensuring that their staff are provided with appropriate training,
address stress as it arises amongst their staff, and
ensure that there are appropriate work plans for individuals at significant risk.

Staff are responsible for their own health and for taking advantage of the support provided by the University.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic is responsible for the human resource management programme and for ensuring that it addresses the 'Principles' contained in this policy, and for ensuring that Human Resources, Staff Development and Training Unit and the Health & Safety Department work together in a co-ordinated way in the delivery of the following services.
The Director of Human Resources ensures the provision of professional guidance on employment issues and associated procedures, the management of all grievance, disciplinary, and capability cases, and provision of a mediation service.
The Human Resources department ensures the day to day provision of professional occupational health and counselling advisory services to staff and managers. These services may include medical and counselling referrals, advice on health, stress, and risk assessment, health education programmes, and monitoring the effectiveness of the stress policy.
The Human Resources and the Health and Safety department ensures that appropriate training is available to staff and managers, and ensures that managers have access to guidance, training, and self-help on good management practice.

Arrangements

Staff experiencing stress at work should normally raise the matter with their line manager.
Staff can also obtain assistance and advice on stress, confidential counselling and health matters by contacting the HR Dept.
Guidance on employment rights, pensions, holiday entitlement, mediation, grievance and disciplinary procedures can be obtained by contacting the Human Resources department.
Guidance on personal development issues including courses to help individuals cope with the demands of their job can be obtained from the Staff Development and Training Team (SDT).
Employee Trade Union representatives can also provide advice and support.
The SDT provides managers with training aimed at reducing stress at source and enabling them to assist staff who feel stressed.
Managers should develop plans in conjunction with the Health and Safety and HR Departments to help individuals return to work following illness certified by their GP as due to stress or mental health issues.
SDT provide access to Stress e-learning modules to help staff better understand causes, effects and how to manage stress as linked - https://www.beds.ac.uk/oder/e-learning
The Human Resources Department provides all University staff with a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Third party and fully confidential (no information will be shared with the University other than usage numbers) trained counsellors are available via the EAP to assist with any issues (work or personal) staff may be facing, including financial, relationship / family, well-being, etc. The direct dial telephone number to access the EAP is - 0800 328 1437, alternatively the provider can be accessed via the worldwide web at - www.employeeassistance.org.uk/ using the access code - UoB.