Quick Guide: Five Steps to Managing Cases of Stress in Staff
Step One: What can I do if I am worried about one of my members of staff suffering from work related stress?
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If they are not absent from work talk to them and try to find out what the underlying causes might be. Things may be able to be resolved simply
over a short period of time, if the situation looks more complex, make a referral to Occupational Health. If they are already absent from work,
make the referral straight away.
Make it clear, when you make the the referral, exactly what information you need to manage this situation well. It would also be helpful for the
manager to provide information to Occupational Health regarding any steps they have already taken to manage the situation prior to the referral .
Step Two: What happens once the referral has taken place?
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The Occupational Health Advisor will contact the manager as the first step in the process for a preliminary discussion. Following this the employee
will be invited to attend the unit for an appointment.
The Occupational Health Advisor will then write you a report; this may recommend the completion of an individual stress risk assessment. In
complex cases they may recommend a case conference involving your HR Advisor
If a stress risk assessment is recommended, you need to examine the contents of the report and take steps to incorporate the issues raised in the
report into a draft stress risk assessment for the person; a template for this is attached.
The items raised in the report will need to be detailed on the template and then the proposed plan for managing the issue explained and recorded.
Additionally, you need to make yourself aware of the HSE Management Standards ( http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm ). A list of ‘thoughts
for managers’ are included with this document which might help you to focus on potential areas of concern. This can be particularly useful if more
than one staff member is absent.
Step three: What if I do not agree with the issues which the employee has raised with occupational health?
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It may be that the information presented to Occupational Health from the employees’ perspective may not be the same as your own
perception of the situation. However, the report forms a useful starting point for discussions. It is not necessarily the case that all the
wishes of the employee can be accommodated. Equally, it may be that simple steps can be taken to make the working environment
less stressful for the employee and that these steps will not be detrimental to other staff members in the group.
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It should be noted that If the overall workload of the employee is deemed to be reasonable and consistent with that of colleagues, it
will only be possible for a manager to agree a reduced workload for a finite period. If at the end of the stated time, the expected
reasonable workload cannot be re-instated, without compromising the employee’s health, other options will need to be discussed with
HR.
Step Four: How do I engage the member of staff in the process?
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It is suggested that a draft assessment is drawn up by the manager and an appointment made with the employee to discuss the
contents. Additions and alterations may then be made at a face to face meeting, following which, the assessment is finalised.
Before the assessment is finalised and sent to the employee for signing, it should be sent to the appropriate HR Advisor for comment
Step Five: Review
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Review prompts have been included on the template. These dates should be in weeks rather than months and a number of reviews
may be agreed, if necessary. On review, the record should state the outcome of the management plan agreed. It may be that the plan
may be modified at the review meeting, if so, these details should be recorded. If, at the end of the review period the issues have not
been satisfactorily resolved, the outstanding issues should be referred back to HR for advice. If the matter has been resolved at the
end of the review period then there should be no need to revisit the strategies unless the situation changes. It should be explained at
the review that it is the responsibility of the employee to inform the manager if they consider that the stress risk assessment should be
revisited once the last review has been completed.
HR and Occupational Health Advisors are available to support managers with this process. Once complete and reviewed, a signed copy
of the individual assessment should be sent to HR to place on the personal file of the employee.
Once the individual risk assessment has been completed it may be appropriate for the manager to review whether a team or
departmental risk assessment needs to be completed for all the staff in the team. Details of this process can be found in the Stress
Policy.
Individual Stress Risk Assessment Template
Name of Employee:
Return to Work Date
(If applicable):
Manager conducting the assessment:
Details of any phased return (if applicable)
Management Plan
Section One -Workload Management (This issue is given a separate section as it is one of the most commonly cited difficulties,
management plans may include, for example ,the use of workload modelling, identification of work load priorities and details of
expected response times)
(The issue to be addressed and the proposed way of dealing with it should be entered below)
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End of Phased Return
Meeting One Date
Management Plan
Section Two-Other Issues (This may include a wide variety of issues and management plans may include for example,
behavioural commitments from the member of staff and manager, changes to working practice, a record of interventions with
colleagues, etc)
(The issue to be addressed and the proposed way of dealing with it should be entered below)
Review
Stipulate the review periods planned.
Signed (Manager )
Dated
Signed (Employee)
Dated
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Review Date
Thoughts for Managers
(Based on the HSE Indicator Tool)
1. Am I clear regarding the performance I
expect of my colleagues at work?
2. Can colleagues decide when to take a
break?
3. Do different groups at work demand
things from colleagues that are hard to
combine?
4. Do colleagues know how to go about
getting their job done?
17. Do colleagues understand how their
work fits into the overall aim of the
organisation?
18. Are people pressured to work
excessively long hours?
19. Is there an element of choice in deciding
what people do at work?
20. Do colleagues have to work very fast?
21. Are people subject to bullying at work?
5. Is anyone subject to personal
harassment in the form of unkind words
or behaviour?
22. Do people have unrealistic time
pressures?
6. Do people have unachievable
deadlines?
23. Can people rely on me to help them out
with a work problem?
7. If work gets difficult, do colleagues help
team members?
24. Do people get the help and support they
need from colleagues?
8. Are colleagues given supportive
feedback on the work they do?
25. Do I provide sufficient opportunities for
staff to question me about change at
work?
9. Do colleagues have to work very
intensively?
10. Do colleagues have a say in their own
work speed?
11. Are colleagues clear what their duties
and responsibilities are?
12. Are some tasks neglected because
colleagues have too much to do, how is
this managed?
26. Do people receive the respect at work
they deserve from their colleagues?
27. Are staff always consulted about change
at work?
28. Can people talk to me about something
that has upset or annoyed them about
work?
29. Can working time be flexible?
13. Are colleagues clear about the goals and
objectives for their department?
30. Am I willing to listen to work related
problems of colleagues?
14. Is there friction or anger between
colleagues or are relationships strained?
31. When changes are made at work, am I
clear how they will work out in practice?
15. Do people have a choice in deciding how
they do their work?
32. Do I support people through emotionally
demanding work?
16. Are people able to take sufficient
breaks?
33. Do I encourage people at work?
34. Do I need to attend the ‘Managing
Pressure at Work Course’?
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