Re the response to Kate Harcus, Groundwork, on Healh and wellbeing/stress management in the workplace

Although not an employer, my previous roles involved managing people and my own experience as an employee.

There is a lot of training around, some in house in larger organisations, but even so, my own experience is that

employers don’t take stress as a serious issue for themselves or their staff, as you say.  Although management know this can be costly I don’t believe they don't take the right action  in many cases/most cases.

So why is that?

Although not an employer per se, previous roles involved managing people so I had the responsiibilities of health and wellbeing of my staff team and colleagues I worked alongside.   I took this seriously because I identified with my own experiences and needs, and projected those needs to others to identify theirs, and provide as far as possible the support, guidance and opportunities that good employers should provide.   It is actually harder to create problematic situations than work with the flow of your staff team in providing to their needs as much as possible (within the boundaries of strategic business needs) - harmony is easier to manage than discourse, stress and upsets.  

Certainly a happier, contented workforce is a more productive one – and this gives rise to a win-win situation for the organisation and staff, its customers and service users and all the other stakeholders involved.    Money and time is better spent progressing the business than fire-fighting the issues that can hold back that progress for individuals and the organisation.

 As a counsellor/coach obviously stress is the underlying issue and often work - employment or self employment - is at the base of issues, or has some impact on the various issues raised by clients.   Employers want staff to separate home/family problems from their working lives - yet this is impossible to do - we are each what we are with our various roles and responsibilities, and they all interlink. 

Similarly, work/career issues impact heavily on home and family life, with pressure of long hours, at risk of job losses and general changes which create uncertainty and anxiety.  Although on one level people (manager, staff and families) all realise this and relate to it, on other levels they can't see the wood for the trees; they are so involved in the ground-level defence or attack and power plays that can arise, that they cannot see past this to the damage on a longer term basis:

• The cost in monetary terms of disciplinary action - meetings and planning, consultations with unions, representatives, management agreement for example;
• Strategic planning at times on larger scales where individuals fight the plans and intentions;
• Lost productivity where staff are discussing, researching, questioning and meeting their managers
• Anxiety creates distractions and can lead to errors or break downs even
• Time off is not only personal ill health but the impact and effects on family members who are worrying too, witnessing the problems and receiving the fall-out from the stress and anxiety created at work e.g. children, spouse, parents and siblings, who may well also fall ill and need support from ‘the employee’ taking time out to support them too (where they are the responsible carers)

Providing timely support and communication means people can hear the facts, plan ahead for their own needs and feel in control/empowered within their own situation, and once that is  possible, they feel secure enough and can adapt to the changes taking place.

Prolonged uncertainty leads to stress (inability to meet demands placed on you) which is easily managed with ongoing, consistent communications – briefings and updates, team meetings providing a forum for discussion and airing views (which is important if uncomfortable when enforced changes are demanded);  however the benefits outweigh the discomfort and the extra time, and overall this becomes a well managed situation rather than a constant fire-fighting/defensive action – time better spent developing the changes positively individually and organisationally.

This is based on my own experience which I have used as insight into my client work where relevant, and also in developing support strategies in management roles and workshops aimed at helping people to better manage their own situation to bring about positive adaptation to change, whatever that might mean.

See Events page on OBN and Clear Mind Coaching & Counselling website for more information - workshop dates from 1^st April 2011, and presentations at Oldham Library from May-August 2011.