A worker’s response to stressors at work may be positive or negative for worker wellbeing, depending on a number of
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- Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
- Figure 1. Individual
- Possible effects on organisational performance
- Figure 1. The four-step risk management process C O N S U LT
- How to conduct a risk assessment
- Senior steering committee
- Feedback of results of the risk assessment
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A worker’s response to stressors at work may be positive or negative for worker wellbeing, depending on a number of factors. In the vast majority of instances, people adjust to stressors and are able to continue to perform their normal work duties. While stress itself is not a disease, if it becomes excessive and long-lasting it can lead to mental and physical ill-health. Your legal obligations Work-related stress leading to illness, injury and weakened organisational performance can come from many sources, both work and non-work. Employers are not able to control workers’ personal lives and the stressors they may encounter there, however they do have a legal obligation to minimise their exposure to work-related factors that can increase the risk of work-related stress. The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 imposes a legal duty on business operators to do what is reasonably practicable to eliminate or minimise risk to worker health and safety. This duty extends to protecting workers from the risk of harm from stressors at work. Risk factors for work-related stress The key to reducing the effects of work-related stress is to understand what organisational, environmental and individual characteristics may lead to stress in the first place. Organisational It is important to understand the types of organisational stressors people can be exposed to when examining work- related stress. A simplified model is shown in Figure 1 (over page). The model identifies the kinds of organisational stressors or risk factors that might lead to workers experiencing stress and sustaining psychological and/or physical ill-health. These risk factors are outlined in more detail in Tip Sheet 4. Stress is a term that is widely used in everyday life and most people have some idea of its meaning. Work-related stress is recognised globally as a major challenge to workers’ health, and the health of an organisation. Overview of work-related stress
Work-related stress describes the physical, mental and emotional reactions of workers who perceive that their work demands exceed their abilities and/or their resources (such as time, help/support) to do the work. It occurs when they perceive they are not coping in situations where it is important to them that they cope. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Queensland 01 Department of Justice and Attorney-General Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au Risk Factors/Stressors Work demands Low control Poor support Lack of role clarity Poorly managed relationships Low levels of recognition and reward Poorly managed change Organisational justice Psychological Injury/Illness (depression, anxiety, burnout, emotional distress, suicide) Environmental Environmental stressors such as physical, chemical or biological agents can influence the worker’s comfort and performance in his or her work environment, and might contribute to a stress response. These factors can cause stress on their own, but often act to exacerbate a person’s response to another stressor. Types of environmental stressors include: • noise • temperature and humidity • lighting • vibration • air quality • unguarded plant and equipment. Figure 1. Individual People respond to stressors at work in different ways. It has been suggested that this can, in part, be related to physiological and/or personality factors (e.g. resilience). Worker well-being appears to benefit from a combination of challenging work, a supportive atmosphere and adequate resources. While it is important to recognise these individual differences and to match jobs and tasks to individual abilities, this does not reduce an employers legal duty to minimise workers’ exposure to risk factors for work-related stress and to ensure the workplace does not exacerbate an existing illness. Outcomes of exposure to work-related stress
Short-lived or infrequent exposure to low-level stressors are not likely to lead to harm, in fact short-term exposure can result in improved performance. When stressful situations go unresolved, however, the body is kept in a constant state of stimulation, which can result in physiological and/or psychological changes and illness. For example: Physical: headaches, indigestion, tiredness, slow reactions, shortness of breath Mental: difficulty in decision-making, forgetfulness Emotional: irritability, excess worrying, feeling of worthlessness, anxiety, defensiveness, anger, mood swings Behavioural: diminished performance, withdrawal behaviours, impulsive behaviour, increase in alcohol and nicotine consumption Common longer-term health issues linked to stress include cardiovascular disease (CVD), immune deficiency disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, psychiatric/psychological illness (PPI) and musculoskeletal disorders.
Increased stress levels of workers in an organisation can lead to diminished organisational performance as measured by the following: • productivity and efficiency may be reduced • job satisfaction, morale and cohesion may decline • absenteeism and sickness absence may increase • there may be an increase in staff turnover • accidents and injuries may increase • conflict may increase and the quality of relationships may decline • client satisfaction may be reduced • there may be increased health care expenditure and workers’ compensation claims. The effects of work-related stress on organisational performance provide good reasons — above and beyond legal duties and the direct financial and human costs — as to why employers and other duty holders should reduce workers’ exposure to workplace stressors. Physical Illness (cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, immune deficiency, gastrointestinal disorders) Work-related Stress © The State of Queensland (Department of Justice and Attorney-General) 2014. Copyright protects this document. The State of Queensland has no objection to this material being reproduced, but asserts its right to be recognised as author of the original material and the right to have the material unaltered. The material presented in this publication is distributed by the Queensland Government as an information source only. The State of Queensland makes no statements, representations, or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this publication, and the reader should not rely on it. The Queensland Government disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including, without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way, and for any reason. AEU 14/5347 Workplace Health and Safety Queensland www.worksafe.qld.gov.au 1300 369 915 The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 asserts that, to properly manage exposure to risks, a person must: 1. identify hazards 2. assess risks if necessary 3. control risks 4. review control measures to ensure they are working as planned. Many of the discussions about stress risk management have traditionally been focussed on individuals within an organisation who are already distressed. This approach is not only costly, but it also means that the employer or business operator may not be fully meeting their duty to eliminate or minimise risks to worker health and safety from being exposed to stressors at work. The risk of work-related stress may be present in any workplace. Employers should apply the risk management process (illustrated in Figure 1) to eliminate or minimise, as far as reasonably practicable, exposure to potential causes of work-related stress. Risk management is a four-step process for controlling exposure to health and safety risks associated with hazards in the workplace. A risk management approach to work-related stress
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Figure 1. The four-step risk management process C O N S U LT AT I O N CO NS UL TA TI O N C O N S U LT AT IO N C O N S U LT A TI O N Known ri sks an d c on tro l STEP 4 Review control measures
Control risks STEP 1 Identify hazards MANAGEMENT COMMITTMENT STEP 2 Assess risks Image based on diagram from How to Manage Work Health and
02 www.worksafe.qld.gov.au Department of Justice and Attorney-General Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Step 1: Identify the hazards The first step in the risk management process is to identify workplace hazards. This means looking for those things in the workplace that have the potential to cause harm. The source of work-related stress can be determined by evaluating: productivity levels, rates of absenteeism, separation rates/turnover, exit interviews, staff engagement/ morale, customer feedback, peak/seasonal demands, analysing incident reports and data trends. Step 2: Assess and prioritise the risk This step involves assessing the likelihood and consequences of injury or illness that may result from exposure to work- related stressors. Stressors or risk factors for work-related stress include: • work demands (emotional, mental, physical) • low control • poor support • lack of role clarity • poorly managed change • poorly managed relationships • low levels of recognition and reward • organisational injustice. How to conduct a risk assessment Risk factors for work-related stress can be assessed by understanding worker complaints, observing interactions between workers, gaining feedback from workers, having one-on-one discussions with workers and through the use of focus groups or a worker survey.
Findings from focus groups or worker surveys would then inform a decision about the likelihood and consequences of injury or illness from exposure to work-related stress and make it clear which risk factors are contributing to that risk. Step 3: Control risks After assessing the risk and determining which factor(s) have the greatest contribution to that risk, the most appropriate control measure(s) that are reasonably practical in the circumstances need to be selected and implemented. When selecting a particular control, it is important to be able to justify why it was chosen over a different measure. For work-related stress, deciding on control measures usually means altering a problem risk factor. For instance, reducing work demands, increasing the level of control a worker has over his or her job, and increasing the amount of peer and/or supervisor support a person is receiving. Examples of control measures to manage the risk of work- related stress include: • improving supervisor/managerial skills through coaching, mentoring and/or training • planning workloads to meet potential demands • setting clear performance goals/accountability • ensuring role clarity and reassessing job descriptions • setting new or adjusting current HR procedures • providing assistance (e.g. an employee assistance program) • communicating policy and availability of assistance • checking understanding and implementation of changes • promoting effective early rehabilitation. Step 4: Review control measures The last step of the risk management process is to review the effectiveness of the control measures that have been implemented to ensure they are working as planned. When reviewing the effectiveness of control measures, it is important to weigh up whether the chosen controls are effective or whether they need some modification. Risk management for work-related stress is not a one-off exercise, but something that must go on continually in the organisation. The dynamics and complexity of organisations can mean that changes such as a new supervisor, new workers or new processes or procedures can have marked, unexpected and unplanned effects on the stress levels of workers. Focus groups are small groups (typically 6-10 people) from across the organisation. The purpose of a focus group is to provide a forum for assessing the risk of exposure to work-related stressors. This is done by considering each of the stress risk factors listed above and how they may or may not apply to their workplace. Another effective approach to finding out about work-related stressors is to administer a worker survey. Surveys can be an important tool in soliciting which stressors are present in the workplace, evaluating the degree to which they are affecting workers and pinpointing where they are originating. When undertaking a worker survey, one must consider the size of the group to be surveyed, how participants are to be selected and how survey results will be fed back to staff. Anonymity must be guaranteed throughout the entire process. © The State of Queensland (Department of Justice and Attorney-General) 2014. Copyright protects this document. The State of Queensland has no objection to this material being reproduced, but asserts its right to be recognised as author of the original material and the right to have the material unaltered. The material presented in this publication is distributed by the Queensland Government as an information source only. The State of Queensland makes no statements, representations, or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this publication, and the reader should not rely on it. The Queensland Government disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including, without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way, and for any reason. AEU 14/5347 Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au There have been a number of conditions found to be critical to the success of this kind of intervention: 1. visible organisational and management commitment to dealing with work-related stress 2. worker participation in all activities of stress management, including risk assessment or diagnosis, feedback, planning and implementing control options and interventions 3. organisational communication and consultation regarding the risk management process. Commitment Senior management commitment is critical to the success of any significant organisational initiative. Programs such as risk management require resources (people, money and time), but in the long term have been shown to make considerable savings in resources. They require the willing and appropriate commitment of these resources by management upfront. Gaining employee commitment through frequent and open communication is also a necessary part of successfully changing employee attitudes and/or behaviour. Participation, communication and consultation The work health and safety legislation in Queensland has a strong focus on consultation in risk management, which means that employers are required to seek advice or information from the people involved with the risks in the workplace. When it comes to managing the risks of work- related stress, you will be particularly dependent upon input from your workers to identify and address stressors at work and will see clear benefits from communicating with, and involving them in the process. Consulting with workers at each stage of the risk management process will assist in achieving better health and safety outcomes because: • workers are in constant close contact with the day-to-day elements of the workplace and the work that can increase the risk of work-related stress — consulting with them will give you access to their first-hand experience • seeking assistance from the workers will encourage them to accept and comply with the solutions that are to be put in place As well as an important legal duty, risk management for work-related stress can be an organisational improvement strategy. 03 Implementing a work-related stress risk management process Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General
• workers can experience stress if they perceive that they have little control over their work and their work environment, and who do not feel supported in their workplace — communicating with them and seeking their participation in the risk management process very directly addresses the risk factors of low control and poor support. In this way the consultation process itself becomes part of the solution. Ways to facilitate participation and consultation The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 formally provides for consultation through workplace health and safety representatives and committees, where these are required in your workplace. As well as using workplace health and safety representatives and committees, you can set up a specific communication and project management structure to oversee and implement the risk management process. This structure might include a senior steering committee and/or a working group.
A senior steering committee is a group of individuals drawn from those in senior management positions and strategic areas of the organisation, such as human resources, workplace health and safety and organisational communication, who are responsible for general operating policy, procedures and related matters affecting the organisation as a whole. It includes a ‘project champion’, who heads the committee and gives the project momentum. The purpose of a senior steering committee is to: • provide overall guidance and direction for a project and to interface with the organisation at a senior level about the project • provide tangible evidence of management support. Employers may want to consider establishing a steering committee to oversee the stress risk management process and to ensure that the recommendations for changes are implemented strategically and earnestly. Working group The working group includes the people who more actively facilitate the process on the ground. Working groups are an effective way of carrying out a potentially large-scale strategic process like work-related stress risk management. They encourage full and active participation by the workers in the risk management process.
Providing feedback on the risk assessment to members of the organisation is crucial. This step helps ensure information about risk factors is used in designing, implementing and evaluating appropriate interventions. Feedback may focus initially on the project champion and steering committee or working group, with discussions on how the results could be best positioned and presented. However this process should not be restricted to this group alone, with the promise of wider feedback an important factor in securing worker commitment to any interventions or risk reduction activities. It is also important to seek worker input into the designing, implementing and evaluating of any control measures for managing risks associated with work-related stress. The working group can: • encourage worker participation • discuss perceptions and perspectives on work practices • coordinate focus group discussions or the distribution of surveys • review the results of surveys and other information provided to confirm or challenge the responses • analyse and prioritise areas where action is needed
• using a collaborative approach involving workers and managers, develop an action plan to address the identified causes of work related stress • report to the Senior Steering Committee. © The State of Queensland (Department of Justice and Attorney-General) 2014. Copyright protects this document. The State of Queensland has no objection to this material being reproduced, but asserts its right to be recognised as author of the original material and the right to have the material unaltered. The material presented in this publication is distributed by the Queensland Government as an information source only. The State of Queensland makes no statements, representations, or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this publication, and the reader should not rely on it. The Queensland Government disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including, without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way, and for any reason. AEU 14/5347 Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
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