Organizational STRESS

Transcription

1 Organizational STRESS Jane Cranwell-Ward and Alyssa Abbey

2 Jane Cranwell-Ward and Alyssa Abbey 2005 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their right to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act First published 2005 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

3 To our husbands, families, co-contributors, friends and colleagues for their support and tolerance

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5 Contents v List of Figures Foreword: Constant Change and the Disposable Workforce Acknowledgements x xiii xiv PART I OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK AND BUSINESS CONTEXT 1 1 Overview of the Book 3 Introduction 3 How to Use the Book 3 2 The Business Context and Organizational Drivers for Managing Stress 7 Introduction 7 External Factors 8 Internal Factors 17 Summary 22 PART II WHAT IS STRESS? BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE 25 3 What is Stress? 27 Introduction 27 How People View Stress 27 Definitions of Stress 28 Elements of Stress 29 Summary 37 4 Why do Organizations Need to Act Now? 39 Introduction 39 Stress is Dysfunctional for the Individual 39 Stress can be Dysfunctional for the Organization 42 Costs that can be Monitored to Make the Business Case 42 Summary 44 PART III STRESS: AN ORGANIZATIONAL PERSPECTIVE 47 5 Introduction 49 6 Causes of Stress within Organizations 51 Introduction 51 Classifying the Causes of Stress 51

6 vi CONTENTS Individuals Ability to Manage their Relationship with Work and the Workplace 54 Individuals Ability to Manage their Relationship with Others 56 Individuals Ability to Manage Themselves 57 The Stresses of Everyday Life 59 Life Event Changes and their Impact 60 Summary 60 7 The Most Stressful Jobs 63 Introduction 63 The Most Stressful Jobs Survey The Most Stressful Jobs Survey Robertson Cooper Survey (2004) 66 Stressful Jobs Identified by the Henley Stress Special Interest Group 69 Managing those in Stressful Jobs 70 Summary 71 8 The Measurement of Stress 72 Introduction 72 The Challenges of Measuring Stress 73 Ways of Measuring Stress 73 Advantages of Stress Audits and Risk Assessments 73 The Risk Assessment Process 74 Summary 78 APPENDIX 8.1 HSE Indicator Tool for Work-related Stress 80 9 Managing Stress within the Workplace 82 Introduction 82 Overview of Interventions 82 Dealing with the Root Causes 83 Training Interventions 86 Job Matching 88 Job Redesign 89 Counseling and Employee Assistance Programs 90 Absence Management 90 Summary The Legal Perspective: Stress and the Law 94 Introduction 94 Key Legislation 94 Notable Personal Injury Actions Based on Common Law 101 Legal Guidance from HSE Guidelines 107 Summary of Steps to be Taken by Employers to Comply with the Law 107 Summary of Steps that can be Taken by Employees 108 APPENDIX 10.1 Medical Report Consent Form 109 APPENDIX 10.2 Letter to Employee to Accompany Medical Report Consent Form 110 APPENDIX 10.3 Medical Information Release Form Developing a Stress Policy 112 Introduction 112 The Objectives of a Stress Management Policy 112

7 CONTENTS vii Developing a Stress Policy 113 What to Include in a Stress Policy 114 Summary 116 APPENDIX 11.1 Code of Practice For Managing Occupational Stress The Positive Side of Stress for Organizations 124 Introduction 124 Understanding Eu-stress and Performance 124 Sustaining Optimum Performance 126 Operating in the Flow 127 Getting into the Flow 127 Positive Stress and Career Management 128 Positive Stress in Organizations 128 Summary Creating a Culture and Climate to Build a Resilient Workforce 131 Introduction 131 Understanding Culture 131 Sunday Times Survey 132 Great Place to Work Institute, US, Europe, and UK 135 Building Blocks for Managers to Create a Culture and Climate to Build a Resilient Workforce 140 Summary Lessons Learnt 143 Why Do People Experience Excessive Stress? 143 Which are the Most Stressful Jobs? 143 How Do We Know Whether There is a Problem Associated with Stress? 143 What Do We Do About It? 144 What Do We Legally Have To Do About It? 144 Does a Stress Policy Help? 144 What is the Upside of Stress? 145 How Can We Be Proactive? 145 PART IV MANAGING THE STRESS OF OTHERS Introduction Legal Responsibilities of Managers in Plain English 150 Introduction 150 Managerial Duty of Care 150 Managerial Awareness 151 Summary 155 APPENDIX 16.1 Summary of Legal Cases Cited in Chapter Best Practice Models for Managing Stress in Teams and Individuals 159 Introduction 159 Policy and Procedure 160 Involvement of Occupational Health 163 Information and Support 165

8 viii CONTENTS Training 166 Summary 167 APPENDIX 17.1 Stress-related Ill Health Rehabilitation Procedure 168 APPENDIX 17.2 Stress-related Absence Rehabilitation Procedure 170 APPENDIX 17.3 Individual Stress Risk Assessment 172 APPENDIX 17.4 Individual Return to Work Support Form 176 APPENDIX 17.5 Routes to Help 179 APPENDIX 17.6 Critical Incident Management Procedure 180 APPENDIX 17.7 Stress Management Workshop for Managers Recognizing and Assessing Stress in Others 184 Introduction 184 Why Managers Should be Vigilant 184 Signs of Stress in Others 185 Managerial Awareness and Acceptance of Stress 187 Signs of Stress in an Organization 187 The Manager s Role in Reducing Organizational Stress 188 Summary Building Rapport and Having Conversations about Stress 189 Introduction 189 Managerial Involvement in the Management of Stress 189 Barriers to Effective Communication 190 Positive Messages to Stressed Employees 190 Factors to Consider in Conversations about Stress 191 Building Rapport 193 Further Guidance 194 Summary Summary of Managing the Stress of Others 196 Introduction 196 Legal Responsibilities of Managers: 196 Best Practice Models for Managing Stress in Teams and Individuals 197 Recognizing and Assessing Stress in Others 198 Building Rapport and Having Conversations about Stress 199 PART V UNDERSTANDING AND DEALING WITH STRESS: AN INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE Introduction Recognizing and Assessing Individual Stress Levels 204 Introduction 204 Individual Stress Symptoms 204 Why Stress Hormones Cause So Many Problems 205 Measuring Individual Stress Levels 206 Considering Coping Strategies 207 Summary 208 APPENDIX 22.1 Spotting the Warning Signs of Excessive Stress 209 APPENDIX 22.2 Personal Effectiveness Questionnaire 212

9 CONTENTS ix 23 Taking Responsibility, Developing Control 214 Introduction 214 Whose Responsibility is it? 214 Developing Control 215 Summary Managing Emotions 220 Introduction 220 Three Key Elements of Emotions Management 220 Bringing Out the Best in People 224 Dealing with Difficult People 225 Summary Building Resilience 228 Introduction 228 Steps to Resilience 228 Acceptance 237 Summary Committing to Action 239 Introduction 239 Excuses for not Taking Action 239 Steps to Taking Action 241 Summary 242 APPENDIX 26.1 Values Worksheet 243 APPENDIX 26.2 Commonly Held Values 244 APPENDIX 26.3 Action Plan 245 APPENDIX 26.4 Personal Action Plan for Energy and Vitality Summary of Understanding and Dealing with Stress: an Individual Perspective 248 Introduction 248 Question and Answer Review 248 PART VI CONCLUSIONS The Way Forward 257 Leaders 257 HR Personnel 258 OH Personnel 258 Managers 258 Conclusion Further Reading and Websites 260 Reading 260 Websites 262 References 265 Index 269

10 x List of Figures 2.1 External and internal drivers for managing stress Changes experienced in organizations A comparison of the old psychological contract and the new deal Definitions of stress Three administrators and their approaches to stress The elements of stress Factors influencing the way a person reacts to a situation Examples of factors within a situation impacting on stress Relationship between performance and pressure The stress reaction A case of experiencing an amygdala highjack The stress response and the nervous system The case of Melissa and the stress that was badly managed Company case illustrating the business case for an intervention A model to classify the causes of stress Responses to a particular situation by different people Examples of causes of stress identified by the Henley Stress Special Interest Group An organization s assessment of potential causes The change curve and its impact on emotions and performance Life event changes Rankings of a range of jobs The UK s 10 most and least stressful jobs Stresses experienced by a GP Stresses experienced by a deputy head teacher Stresses experienced by a policewoman Examples of jobs that may expose people to greater pressure, identified by the Henley Stress Special Interest Group The London borough of Havering s stress risk assessment process BT s stress assessment and management (STREAM) Direct Line s approach to managing organizational stress Example of job redesign in a local authority An integrated approach to managing stress in the workplace at Xerox UK 90

11 LIST OF FIGURES xi 12.1 The relationship between pressure, performance and stress Goal setting for individuals The Microsoft example of creating a great place to work Comparison of the criteria used in the four models Good practice in managing employee demands Key stress management best practice elements for managers Addressing absence in a call center Reducing absence at Rolls-Royce A program for reducing sickness absence Developments in the OH industry Common stress-related conditions and behaviors and their link to stress Building rapport A case of impostor syndrome An example of the benefits of developing relationship skills Types of difficult people Suggestions for dealing with difficult people Example of recognizing a lack of balance Example of recognizing when things are right How to uncover a lack of balance 230

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13 Foreword Constant Change and the Disposable Workforce xiii The old adage that change is here to stay epitomizes the workplace over the past two decades. In the developed world, the 1980s were described as the decade of the enterprise culture, with people working longer and harder to achieve individual success and material rewards. We had globalization, privatization, process reengineering, mergers/acquisitions/joint ventures, strategic alliances, and the like transforming UK plc into a hot-house, free-market environment. In the short term, this entrepreneurial period improved economic competitiveness in the countries that embraced it. But as the strains began to appear, the concepts of stress, burnout, downshifting, and work life balance became part of our modern business vocabulary. Then we had the 1990s, where a major restructuring of the workplace took center stage, which would have significant consequences for the health and well-being of people at work. This took the form of substantial outsourcing, delayering, downsizing, and the like. Now many organizations are smaller, with fewer people doing more and feeling much less secure. New technology has added the burden of information overload as well as accelerating the pace of work and immediacy of expectations regarding the delivery of work. All this has continued into the new millennium, but with the added undermining of the psychological contract between employee and employer. Jobs are no longer for life or secure, and increasingly people are being perceived as part of a disposable workforce but expected to be committed and deliver all their energies to the bottom line of the enterprise without any commitment from the organization itself. These developments have led to individuals feeling more pressure, with less support and more vulnerable to the whims of managers, the organization, and the marketplace. Organizational stress is now high on the agenda of senior and top managers because of the increasing sickness absence days, premature retirement due to stress, litigation, and lack of added value to products and services due to excessive pressure. This book comes at a timely moment during this process, and should be welcomed by HR professionals and senior managers in their efforts to cope with the pressures on employees during these changing times. It is up to HR managers to explore the causes and possible interventions that may help them deal with their people problems today and in the next few years this book will go a long way in helping them. PROFESSOR CARY L. COOPER, CBE Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health Lancaster University Management School

14 xiv Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the following: The numerous organizations that contributed to shaping the thinking of the authors across a broad context and provided best practice examples, including BT, BUPA Wellness, London Borough of Havering, Microsoft, West Dorset Health Authority and Xerox. The Henley Stress Best Practice Group: Mike Wagland, BT; Tony Urwin, BUPA Psychological Services; Su Alexander, Marks & Spencer; Andrea Knight, Microsoft; and Carol Cook and Vicky Smith, Xerox for their participation in the group and their contribution to the book. The Henley Stress Special Interest Group: Guillermo Casado, Christophe Desplace, Janette Durbin, John Francis, Clare Harvey, Catherine Keeling, Alex Kotsos, John Metherell, Nicola Partridge, Janet Peel, Chris Pond, Robin Roy, Katie Sherlock and Sheila Stork for their active debate and discussion, and for allowing us to use the material generated in the book. Geoffrey Bignell of Just Employment Solicitors for his sharp attention to legal detail. Dr. Jenny Leeser of BUPA Wellness and Tony Urwin of BUPA Psychological Services for their valuable advice and professional views. Sue Gover for her tireless effort, encouragement, and support, and her constant vigilance and attention to detail. The authors were delighted that she agreed to be part of the team. John Metherell and Nicola Partridge for their contribution to the research and writing of the book and their support throughout the project. June Sebley, Tereena Hartin and Melanie Thomas of Henley Management College for their help and support with running the Best Practice and Special Interest Groups. Personnel Today for giving permission to include adapted or paraphrased material from both the magazine and online. Every effort has been made to trace all the copyright holders but if any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.