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Employers are responsible
under health and safety law
We
can help prevent you going to Court
“Bosses whose workers
claim to suffer from stress risk prosecution and heavy fines under a new
campaign…Firms and their managers will be dragged to court unless they
show they have tried to ‘tackle the problem’.”
Daily Mail 6/8/03
How big is the
problem?
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A CBI survey in
2001 found that UK employees across all sectors took an average 7.1
days sick leave, costing business £476 per individual (approx 680
euros). |
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According to the
Health and Safety Executive, around 5 million UK workers described
their job as “very stressful”. |
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Stress and
musculo-skeletal disorders are the two most common self-reported
causes of worker ill health and absenteeism. |
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Employees
complaining of a physical disorder can also be experiencing
significant levels of stress. |
The Employer’s
Responsibilities
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As an employer
you have a duty of care towards your employee. This is enshrined in
the UK’s Health & Safety at Work Act (1974) and the Health & Safety at
Work (NI) Order (1978). The Republic of Ireland’s legal requirements
are laid down in The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (1989). |
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Not only are you
responsible for employees’ physical health at work, mental health is
included too. |
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Where you as an
employer have contributed in whole, or part, to an employee’s
ill-health then you are liable under law. |
Causes of
work-related stress
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Employees may
complain of a lack of control or helplessness in the workplace. This
can be brought about by a number of factors including work practices
and personality issues with colleagues. The crucial component is the
employee’s perception of being stressed. |
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Bullying and/or
harassment can lead to psychological ill health in employees.
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Family and
relationship problems from outside the workplace can also impact on an
employee’s job performance and perception of being stressed at work. |
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Exposure to
traumatic incidents at work can result in post traumatic stress which
is a severe form of work related stress. |
The effect of stress
on your employee
As
humans we have evolved so that we
react in an extreme way
when we feel threatened. This
applies to your employee who is
stressed. An increase in stress hormones causes the individual to follow
a primitive instinct of either fighting for his life or running away.
Where it is perceived that the threat remains, levels of stress hormones
remain high and the employee is in a constant state of alert. Not only
can this result in an over reaction to situations, prolonged stress can
lead to significant physical ill-health.
Prolonged stress has
been linked to coronary heart disease, irritable bowel symptoms, chronic
fatigue, fibromyalgia, skin disorders and even cancer.
What can you do about
it?
The Court of Appeal
in the UK has ruled that in civil cases, employers have a defence in law
where they can prove they had a confidential employee support system in
place.
You can have an
effective employee assistance programme that carries many benefits to your
company:
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Reduced sickness
absence. |
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Improved
efficiency and productivity. |
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Compliance with
legislation and reduced risk of litigation. |
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Improved staff
relations. |
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Reduction in time
spent by managers dealing with staff problems. |
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Pathway for self
or management referral. |
Our Employee
Assistance Programme
Our basic package of
support includes freephone telephone support line and
one-to-one psychological support/therapy for your employees. Our clinical
team is composed of psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and
counsellors who use evidence-based therapies to improve the quality of
people’s lives.
In our support
package we include:
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Liaison with
employees’ General Practitioners. |
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Medication
reviews. |
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Free
consultations by phone for employers regarding workplace mental health
issues. |
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Anonymised
statistical report to employers. |
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Promotional
material for employees and staff/employer launch briefings. |
We also offer at
additional benefits:
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One-day stress
management course. |
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Occupational
Health Medicine. More
detail |
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Welfare service
for employees. |
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Workplace mediation |
Costing
This will be tailored
to your needs and size of firm.
We will be pleased to provide you with
a quotation.
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