Someone asked me what do when I’m stressed and what I do to de-stress, my response was clean, run or clean and run!

I’m a runner, I often say it keeps me sane and if I haven’t run for few days I feel out of sorts and not as clear of mind.

I am an entrepreneur, wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, godmother, friend and volunteer – my time is always short. My faith keeps me centered and my 5 am runs give me breathing space – I’m not great if I haven’t run at least twice a week! I know what it takes to keep things on an even keel so I can be productive and not burn out. It’s a formula that works for me.

Do you know what you need to do for yourself? And for your team? Beyond ensuring you all actually use you allocated annual leave and do not work while you are on it!

Did you know that you have a duty of care for the stress management of your staff?

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 states that organisations must ensure the health safety and welfare at work of their employees. This includes minimising the risk of stress-related illness or injury to employees.

It is your responsibility to:

Monitor factors that might suggest there is a problem with stress-related illness in the business, for example, high rates of absenteeism, staff turnover, poor performance, conflict between staff
Ensure there is a health and safety policy that addresses the issue of stress in the workplace, including, if appropriate, a stress management strategy
Ensure effective risk assessments have been carried out, are monitored regularly and any recommendations are being implemented and adequately funded
Plan for stress-related risks when embarking on significant organisational change.

Where you aware of this regulation? What are/will you do to ensure you are legislatively compliant?

Our Vlog on this subject can be found here