Work-related stress is the reaction people have to demands which exceeds their capacity and capability to cope. As part of a commitment to staff wellbeing, the University wants to identify and address the causes of work-related stress.
Staff experiencing stress may have symptoms such as headaches, irritability, poor concentration, tiredness and anxiety. They may lose interest in their work, have difficulty making decisions, make more mistakes or have a lower resistance to infection.
Stress can be caused or increased when:
Stress will impact on work performance and productivity and lead to increased absenteeism, staff turnover and accident rates. If stress is not addressed, staff may develop mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, or physical health problems, such as heart disease, upper limb or digestive disorders.
Stress could be prevented if you:
It is generally accepted that the longer a member of staff is absent from work with stress, the harder it is for them to return. This will have a significant effect on their emotional and economic wellbeing and departments risk losing a valuable member of their team.
As a university that wants to be recognised for its world-class research, we cannot afford to lose the knowledge and expertise of our researchers, or the staff who support them. Absence of team members will increase pressure on other staff, making it harder for the team to meet its objectives or to give students a quality teaching experience.
The University has to bear the costs of long-term sickness absences, ill-health retirements, the replacement and retraining of staff, and possible litigation. Stress is recognised as a health and safety issue and failure to address it could lead to enforcement action, impacting negatively on the University's reputation.
You can speak with your manager about completing a stress risk assessment. This involves looking at current practice in relation to the HSE Management Standards and determining whether enough has been done to manage the risk of stress or whether more needs to be done. It can be done with between a manager and an individual or team and can be a formal process using a risk assessment form (.docx), or an informal discussion using the standards as a guide. If you do an informal assessment, you should still make a record of the outcomes.
To support with completing the Stress Risk Assessment, you can complete the following:
Perceived Stress Assessment tool (.docx) – This is designed to measure individual stress levels by looking at how different situations affect feelings and thinking.
Stressor Assessment Tool (.docx) – This questionnaire helps to identify the areas under the HSE Management Standards where support may be required
Occupational Health Advisors may recommend stress risk assessment for individuals who have been suffering stress. It is also a useful to carry out assessments for teams where there are stress related issues or are undergoing significant change.
If you need help with carrying out the stress risk assessment, contact the