Are you protecting your team from Stress and Anxiety?

When Ian walked into the café I barely recognised him. It wasn’t just that he wasn’t wearing his usual sharp suit, he seemed to have shrunk and his usual smile and twinkling eyes had disappeared.

Ian was a member of the board, he managed a team of 5 and budget of millions! He had a beautiful wife, gorgeous children, wore a signet ring, Lived in a NICE part of London – He was posh!

He belonged to a club that I aspired to (at that point in my life!), so even though I’d seen the Dr’s notes and spoken to him on the phone, I wasn’t prepared for the person who turned up in front of me.

Ian had been signed off for stress for the past 3 months, he’d exhausted his company enhanced sick pay and was receiving statutory sick pay that wouldn’t make a dent in his outgoings. So he’d met us to discuss coming back to work, but it was obvious that he wasn’t ready yet. I watched him deflate when I said we’d need a fit note from his doctor and for him to see our occupational health team before he could return.

It turned out that this wasn’t the first time that he’d experienced stress and anxiety at work, and even though he’d felt it coming on, he didn’t mention it to anyone because of the stigma attached to his condition.

We worked with Ian’s doctor and therapist and he returned to work in a phased manner when he was ready ….

But I was angry that we’d failed him as employers, he hadn’t felt comfortable to share his mental health issues and therefore get access to help before he became unable to attend work.

Also, we had a duty of care, was his manager lax in ensuring his workload and external pressures were being monitored? When was the last time he’d had a 1-2-1? 

Did you know that Stress Management is one of your responsibilities as a business owner as part of the health and safety regulations?

This experience led to a series of changes being implemented to ensure that Managers were aware of the warning signs of stress and anxiety in their team members and were having regular 1-2-1 meetings.

Remember the top four reasons for absence due to stress and anxiety in the workplace are:

• Workload: 44%

• Lack of support: 14%

• Changes at work: 8%

• Violence, threats or bullying: 13%

Do you and your managers regularly check on the mental health of your staff?

Here are some tips for dealing with cases of stress:

• Treat stressed employees in the same way as those with a physical health problem.

• Discuss the issue with the employee and demonstrate that you are concerned with their health.

• If their work is being affected, explore the option of a referral to Occupational Health.

• Ask if there is anything as a manager you can do to help/try and identify the stressors.

• Seek advice from the employee on any action that could be taken to alleviate the stress e.g. simple modifications to work for a short period, increase communication etc.

• Advise the employee about sources of help e.g. Employee Assistance Programme.

• Document agreed actions and actively follow up to ensure stress levels have been reduced.

• Review and if necessary modify the work tasks and responsibilities of employees who have had sickness absence due to stress as a result of their work.

• Be aware of the impact of stressed employees on other members of staff.

If you are concerned about stress in the workplace, contact us to discuss how we can assist you.

I couldn't stop the tears falling

I remember a time when every day I would wake up and the thought of going to work would make me cry. If you know me you’ll know I’m not THAT GIRL who cries, I’d rather punch something to vent my frustrations!

Has the thought of work ever reduced you to tears or anger?

I put it down to hormones because I was pregnant when it started happening, but it wasn’t that as when I returned to work after having my baby I felt worse. I was doing really well in my job but the workload was unsustainable and I was learning on the job, so I didn’t have the support of a framework or a mentor to direct me. I worked through the night and weekends to complete work to tight deadlines.

Now if I pull an all-nighter, it’s my choice!

I began to become snappy, less friendly and forgetful – I lost my motivation. It was only my stubbornness to complete at any cost that kept me going, but ultimately it was the beginning of my decision to start Eden Mayers HR Consulting.

Was job dissatisfaction part of your decision to become a business owner?

I’m speaking to more and more businesses who have record numbers of staff signed off with work-related stress, for small businesses this has the potential to be crippling.

The Health and Safety Executives Report for 2017, states that:

• 526,000 workers are suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or long-standing)

• 12.5 million working days lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety

• Stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 40% of all work-related ill health cases and 49% of all working days lost due to ill health

The breakdown of the causes of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2017 as follows:

• Workload: 44%

• Lack of support: 14%

• Changes at work: 8%

• Violence, threats or bullying: 13%

• Other: 21%

You can support your employees areas through strong policy, procedures, training, and the use of Employee Benefits and guidance services to help as and when needed. However, you also need to ensure that there is no stigma surrounding Mental Health, so that your employees are comfortable sharing.

A mentally and physically fit workforce is less likely to be absent, and be fully motivated to carry out their role to the best of their ability. Which means productive employees and happy clients for your business.

Let us help you to ensure that your HR policies and process are fit for purpose, contact us for a FREE policy review.

Are you wandering why Stella is sick again?

Most people will avoid confrontation if it is at all possible. I’ve lost count of the amount of clients who tell me that the moment that they start dealing with a staff issue, that person goes off sick.

It’s an amazing phenomenon, it’s as though they think that by going off sick you will forget all about that pressing issue that needed addressing. The problem is that sometimes you do, it’s easily done, you have so much other stuff going on running your business and keeping your clients happy, that the passing of time can often mean that your priorities change and the issue gets put on the back burner.

But this is a cycle that can be dangerous to the success of your business and can lead to discontentment in your team. So how can you avoid getting into the cycle in the first place?

You need to nip performance issues in the bud! And here’s how:

1. If there is an issue discuss it as it happens (or when you discover it), in private. Unless the issue is so bad that it is automatically a disciplinary issue. Having an informal conversation in ‘real time’ rather than waiting for your next 1-2-1 is best.
2. Make it a positive conversation, discuss how to avoid repetition. Demonstrate what good looks like and offer support and training if necessary.
3.  Agree SMART (SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, REALISTIC,TIME-BOUND) Outcomes,
4. Get the individual to confirm everything you have agreed in writing – a simple email will do.
5. ACTUALLY stick to the review timeline (at least weekly).
6. If the quality of work does not improve, use the evidence that you’ve gathered from this informal process to start your formal capability process

REMEMBER - If someone does go off sick after a capability conversation, press pause on the process, but once they return MAKE SURE you restart and if this happens again, ask for a doctor’s note. You may have to pay for it, if they are off less than 5 working days, but it will be worth it.

As always, should you need some assistance please contact us here.