The
Health and Safety Executive has launched a new programme to help employers deal
with the growing problem of stress.
The
‘Management Standards for Stress’ have been developed with 24 companies, and
are now available as an online blueprint to encourage all sizes and types of
employer to get involved.
The
Health and Safety Commission wanted an innovative approach which would provide
the tools for bosses and staff to tackle the challenge of stress in their own
firms, and developed the project by looking at all types of businesses – from
academic institutions to a supermarket chain.
Bill
Callaghan, chair of the Health and Safety Commission, said: “We know that there
is considerable pressure in the modern workplace, but there is a difference
between the buzz people get from doing a busy and challenging job and an unreasonable
pressure which can harm health, lead to absence and put additional strain on
their colleagues trying to cope in an even more pressured environment.
“So
in developing a new approach it is important to get active participation,
agreement and feedback from as many people as possible, and that is why we have
decided that innovative firms seeking an answer can have a go with this
scheme," he added.
The
framework will now run as a pilot and once developed using the feedback, it
will be formally launched next year.
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