Workplace Stress. A guide for employers and workers. Workplace Stress A guide for employers and workers 1

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1 Workplace Stress A guide for employers and workers Workplace Stress A guide for employers and workers 1

2 Please note This information is for guidance only and is not to be taken as an expression of the law. It should be read in conjunction with the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995, the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 1998 and any other relevant legislation. Copies of the legislation can be purchased from Print Applied Technology: call (03) or freecall It is also available on the Internet at This guide was produced by staff from WorkCover Tasmania and Workplace Standards Tasmania. We welcome your feedback on this guide. Send to: Acknowledgements We acknowledge that Workplace Stress: A guide for employers and workers includes material, the copyright of which is owned by Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General and which is reproduced with their permission.

3 Contents What is workplace stress?...2 How can workplace stress effect your health?...3 What s the effect of stress in the workplace?...5 What s the law?...6 What must an employer do?...6 Evaluate results...10 Sample workplace stress policy...11 What can a worker do?...12 Workplace Stress A guide for employers and workers 1

4 What is workplace stress? Workplace stress is the physical and/or emotional reactions you may have to unrelieved and intense pressures in your workplace environment. It creates a risk to personal and workplace health and safety. Perhaps you don t have enough time or resources to complete a project, or looming deadlines seem unreasonable. Everyone s response to a situation is individual: some may cope well but others may not. A certain level of stress can be useful: your adrenalin kicks in and you become motivated to perform at your best level and meet a challenge. But if this adrenalin rush is constant and the pressures are overwhelming, your physical and emotional responses build up; your judgement and wellbeing can be affected, which can lead to serious long-term health effects. Anyone can experience workplace stress, not just executives. What isn t stress? There s a difference between stress and pressure. At times we may say we feel stressed for example, before a job interview but workplace stress is when those pressures or demands are relentless and unrelieved. 2

5 How can workplace stress effect your health? Individuals can experience stress in different ways, that s why some responses here may seem contradictory. Different personalities can be more resilient than others, but this does not lessen the significance of stress as a workplace health and safety issue. Physical responses and effects Short-term responses: increased heart rate, blood pressure and levels of cortisol (known as the stress hormone ), muscle tension, an increase in the frequency or severity of headaches over-eating or loss of appetite. Long-term consequences: back problems, heart disease, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes gastrointestinal problems such as stomach ulcers and heartburn. Stress can also weaken your immunity system, making you vulnerable to illness, as well as aggravate any existing health problems. Emotional responses and effects You may: feel anxious, irritable, hopeless, isolated or guilty have low-self-esteem suffer depression and mental illness; these can lead to suicide. Workplace Stress A guide for employers and workers 3

6 Behavioural responses and effects You may: feel aggressive, causing conflicts or showing risk-taking behaviours feel lethargic, unmotivated and apathetic drink or take drugs to cope, unwind or forget your pressures. It s important to remember that these signs may be similar to those of an illness or disease, and may have nothing to do with workplace stress. Investigate fully and cautiously before coming to any conclusions, and always talk to the person without any preconceived opinions or judgements. 4

7 What s the effect of stress in the workplace? It s not just the individual whose personal health and wellbeing is affected by stress. If you re an employer with high levels of stress in your workplace, you may see: increased accidents or injuries: stress affects concentration, energy levels and judgment, so it can be an underlying cause of accidents, injuries and mistakes increased absenteeism and staff turnover. These can lead to inefficient, disrupted or reduced productivity. On the flipside, staff may accumulate leave but not take it negative public perception of your organisation, which may affect your ability to attract workers. What s post-traumatic stress? Post-traumatic stress is the response to a dangerous, traumatic or violent event. This might be an armed robbery, a workplace fatality, or a serious workplace incident. Police officers, prison officers, paramedics and emergency services officers are regularly exposed to situations and may be vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress. Post-traumatic stress can be severe and lasting, and require professional help. If your workplace has the potential for a traumatic event, develop programs so you can provide immediate, professional help to workers cope with the possible consequences of these situations. Workplace Stress A guide for employers and workers 5

8 What s the law? While the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 does not specifically refer to workplace stress, the general responsibilities that employers and workers have under this law can be applied. For example, employers must ensure that workers are safe at work and free from risks to their health and safety. This could mean that employers take reasonable and practical steps to ensure that factors in the workplaces under their control don t cause or contribute to stress. How they can do this is dealt with throughout this guide. Workers also have a responsibility to take reasonable care for their own health and safety. This can mean that if they recognise they are stressed, they ask their employer or manager for workplace solutions and support, and take care of their own wellbeing. What must an employer do? You can use the same process of hazard management that you use to identify and manage physical hazards in your workplace to manage ones like workplace stress. Spot the hazard assess the risk Is there stress in your workplace? To what extent? You can find out if stress exists in your workplace and how widespread it is by: talking to your workers, your employees safety representatives or OHS committee about what makes them feel stressed at work. However, be aware that a worker suffering stress may be reluctant to say anything, for fear of revealing they can t cope. An anonymous and confidential workplace survey may be useful looking at incident reports, staff surveys, and workers compensation claims. Examine absenteeism rates, requests for transfers to different areas, and resignations 6

9 looking at management styles. Do you or your managers think you re being strong and directive, while really you re creating unreasonable demands on your workers? looking for organisational change, unrelenting or unreasonable deadlines and workloads, uncertainty about job security, or poor or inappropriate work systems looking at the physical work environment. For example, noise, temperature, vibration, dust and lighting can affect a worker s comfort and performance, and might contribute to or worsen their response to other causes of stress seeing if there have been changes in people s behaviour and working relationships looking for signs of stress (see How can workplace stress affect your health? on page 3) considering if you have any vulnerable workers. This includes anyone in contact with the public (especially if there is likely to be verbal or physical confrontation), those with a lack of personal control over their work; or those whose skills don t match the job they are doing. Fix the problem Use practical ways to manage workplace stress If there are workplace factors that allow stress to flourish such as organisational change, unreasonable production schedules or lack of resources consult with everyone in your workplace on ways to address these. Review and improve workloads, performance goals, job descriptions/responsibilities and expectations, rosters and excessive working hours, staffing levels and resource availability. Provide training to maintain and enhance workers skills so they cope with their demands of their job. Training is especially important if you are introducing new technologies or work practices into your workplace. Communicate with your workers at all times, but especially if they are feeling overwhelmed by work. Provide them with Workplace Stress A guide for employers and workers 7

10 emotional support and positive feedback on their performance. This can cushion the effects of a demanding job or one where the worker feels they have little personal control. If factors in the physical work environment such as noise, temperature, vibration are an issue, consult with everyone in your workplace on ways to address these. If negative leadership styles cause or contribute to stress, provide regular feedback, training and information for you and your managers so they adopt a less demanding approach to managing workers. Make sure you and your managers are accountable for positive leadership. You should also provide regular training and information about the effects of stress on personal and workplace health and safety. Consider introducing a wellbeing program with initiatives that encourage workers to maintain their personal health. This can be as simple as encouraging lunchtime walking groups or other exercise/activities, promoting healthy eating, and supporting workers to stop or reduce smoking or drinking. For more information on workplace health and wellbeing, go to the Premier s Physical Activity Council at Support a worker experiencing stress If a worker tells you they are experiencing workplace stress, treat the matter seriously and confidentially. Support them in practical ways: look at their job demands and responsibilities, the resources and time they have to do their job, and any other organisational factors that may contribute to their feelings of stress. Work with them to find ways to address these. Encourage them to maintain their personal health, and see their doctor or a support service (see What can a worker do? on page 15). 8

11 Implement a policy Develop and implement a policy on workplace stress. This should state: that you take the threat of stress to personal and workplace health and safety seriously the ways you will prevent stress from occurring in the first instance. See Use practical ways to manage workplace stress on page 9 as your starting point. More important than writing a policy is enforcing it, fairly and consistently. Workplace Standards, the unions or the courts will consider if or how your policy and practical measures for preventing stress have been followed (for example, if they have been applied to some workers but not others). You also need to make sure everyone in your workplace understands the policy and practical measures for preventing stress. You could conduct training and information sessions, or discuss them at a regular staff meeting. Cover them in your inductions for new workers, too. You may want to consider special training for managers or supervisors on how to implement your policy and practical measures for preventing stress. A sample policy has been included on page 12 for you to use as a guide when preparing one that suits your workplace needs. Evaluate results See if your policy, procedures and disciplinary action are reducing and managing stress. Some of these solutions may have an immediate effect, but others may take more time. Set a date to reconsider the issues and areas you looked at when identifying if there was stress in your workplace. For example, compare incident reports and absenteeism rates, talk to workers and employees safety representatives, and look at management styles and other organisational factors. Workplace Stress A guide for employers and workers 9

12 workplace stress policy... (Your business name) This policy shows: A A our commitment to health and safety in this workplace, and reducing the risks to the health and safety of all workers, contractors and visitors A A our commitment to complying with the requirements of the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 and the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 1998 A A how we will prevent stress from occurring in the workplace. This policy applies to everyone at (your business name). Definition of workplace stress Workplace stress is the physical or emotional reaction someone may have to unrelieved and intense pressures in the workplace environment. It creates a risk to personal and workplace health and safety. Responsibilities Employers/managers must ensure that workers are safe at work and free from risks to their health and safety. This means that employers/managers take reasonable and practical steps to ensure that factors in the workplaces under their control don t cause or contribute to stress. Workers also have a responsibility to take reasonable care for their own health and safety. This means that if they recognise they are stressed, they ask their employer/manager for workplace solutions and support, and take care of their own wellbeing.

13 Preventing workplace stress (Your business name) will identify all workplace factors that allow stress to occur, and use the hazard management process to eliminate stress or control the risks from stress. (Your business name) will consult with workers, employees safety representatives and/or the OHS committee on this issue. (Outline the specific actions you will take to address any factors in your workplace that could allow stress to occur.) Information and support (Your business name) will provide regular training and information about the effects of stress on personal and workplace health and safety, and on the components of this policy. (Include any support, whether internal or external, that you can provide workers experiencing stress.) Policy authorised by:... Date:... Date to be reviewed:...

14 What can a worker do? Tell your employer or manager if you are experiencing workplace stress. If you know what is causing the stress workplace factors such as unrelenting or unreasonable deadlines and workloads, lack of resources, or physical factors such as dust or noise ask to work together to address these. If you feel you need more or better skills to do your job, ask what training options are available. Talk to others in your workplace for support, especially your employees safety representative or union representative. Talk to others outside your workplace for support, such as your family and friends, your family doctor, and a professional counsellor. Maintaining your personal health and wellbeing can help you be resilient to workplace stress. Exercise regularly, eat healthy food, reduce your smoking and drinking (including caffeine drinks), and get good sleep. Remember to do the things you enjoy: listen to music, get out in the garden or go fishing, play with your kids or dog, talk with your family or friends. It may sound like obvious or flippant advice in the face of workplace stress, but these actions you can take to look after yourself should not be underestimated. 12

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16 For more information contact Workplace Standards Tasmania Phone: (within Tasmania) (03) (outside Tasmania) Fax: (03) ISBN: GB252 June