Managing Pressure to Achieve Excellence: September 2004

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CNN.com - 'One long disaster' - Sep 29, 2004

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KeepMedia | HealthDay:Extroverts Balance Work, Family Better

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KeepMedia | AFP:US combat stress control pushed to limits in Iraq

KeepMedia | AFP:'Intoxicated' Thailand losing billions to lottery

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the Mail online | Health | Stressed out? Try voluntary work

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Internet Works - Features - Ten Time-saving Tactics

Scotsman.com Business - Management - Support staff . . in sickness and in health

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the Mail online | Health news | Voluntary work 'can combat stress'

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EducationGuardian.co.uk | Research | Bristol opens stress research centre

dailyrecord - LIGHT OF MY S.A.D. LIFEY S.A.D. LIFE

PRESS RELEASE: How To Cope With Stress And Live Happier And Healthier

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PRESS RELEASE: Employees Increase Overall Productivity Through Preparation

BBC NEWS | England | Northamptonshire | Sick staff cost council �350,000

Stressed workers 'have nightmares about the office'

Job stress wrecking home life - Evening Times

Bucks Free Press: Sport: Regional round-up

PRESS RELEASE: VoiceAmerica.com Launches New Internet Talk Show, �Leadership in the 21st Century�

ic Teesside - Behind their pain

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the Mail online | Health news | Cancer cells hit by 'guided drugs'

Stressed workers have nightmares

Stress management- employee counselling, work place bullying, harassment investigations, support

ic Croydon - Family in plea to Briton's captors

sundaymirror.co.uk.co.uk - FOX: MY BAN HELL

sundaymail - THREE WPCS TAKE CHIEFS TO COURT OVER SEX CLAIMS

Talk to staff to find reason for absences

BBC NEWS | Business | Jaguar ends car making in Coventry

PRESS RELEASE: Under stress? Start Laughtercising� with new CD

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Ex-employee slams council's sick record

ic Wales - Stressed workers to sue council

CNN.com - Sen. Clinton: 'We feel blessed' blockage found - Sep 16, 2004

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PRESS RELEASE: The Power of Healthy Words

ic Teesside - Blocked line chaos for Metro travellers

BBC NEWS | Business | Workers brace for Jaguar closure

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | The Guardian profile: Melvyn Bragg

Survey Shows Americans Are Unaware of the Role the Immune System Plays in Maintaining Health

BBC NEWS | Health | Tories finger firms on health

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DEPRESSED AND EXHAUSTED: Sporting Life | Football, Racing, Cricket, Sports News, Live Scores & Results

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | The future for families

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Stress Therapy Can Help Irritable Bowel

Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | Family stress nearly made Blair quit, claims Bragg

Borehamwood Times: News: Roundup

ic Newcastle - If you want to avoid stress

EducationGuardian.co.uk | eG weekly | Eat, drink and be healthy

Binge-drinkers in Casualty to be offered counselling

People who turn up at accident and emergency departments injured as a result of alcohol will be asked to undergo counselling in an attempt to reduce record rates of binge-drinking.

The government is to roll out a series of initiatives this autumn that will see excessive drinkers being questioned about their boozing habits before being given a date for a counselling session. The strategy is a bid to curb the soaring rates of alcohol-related harm that are putting enormous pressure on hospitals.

Casualty consultants are alarmed that young victims of heavy drinking are increasingly turning up on Thursday nights as well as at the weekend, and that around a quarter of them are young women.

Ministers have become convinced they have to act before 24-hour drinking laws come into force next summer. Cheaper drinks, sweet alcopops - which contain up to five units of alcohol in a single bottle - and an influx of clubs into city centres have created what doctors are describing as an epidemic of binge drinking.

The strategy is aimed at bringing home to people the reality of their problems. Patients who turn up to a casualty department with a drinking-related injury, such as head injury or the result of an assault, will be treated before being asked about their habits. If a man admits drinking more than eight units of alcohol in one evening, or a woman more than six, they will receive counselling.

At the Royal Liverpool, one of several hospitals where the strategy has been piloted, patients are kept in overnight and see the specialist nurse the following day - he or she can refer them for extra help if necessary. The counsellor explains that, if they don't cut down on their drinking, they are storing up long-term health problems, such as liver damage or infertility.

Professor Robin Touquet, A&E consultant at St Mary's Hospital in west London, said the government had to put more investment into alcohol-related health services. 'Binge-drinking is getting worse, particularly among women. The emancipation of women has meant bad things as well as good have been emancipated.'
He will present research this year to show that 'brief interventions' encourage patients to cut down on their drinking and reduce the number of visits to A&E.

Many intensive care cases are also drinking-related, says Martin Shalley, president of the British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine. 'There's no doubt we are in for an epidemic of alcohol-related disease - chronic as well as acute - in the next 10 to 15 years,' he told the Health Service Journal.'

It is not only casualty departments that bear the brunt of the crisis. Liver specialists have reported an increasing number of men and women in their twenties with a condition known as acute alcoholic hepatitis, which carries between a 30 and 90 per cent mortality rate.

Dr Charles Millson, consultant hepatologist at St James' Hospital in Leeds, said: 'They don't put a warning about this condition on a bottle of alcopop, but it is very serious and we are hearing more and more about it.

'District general hospitals ask us if we can do a liver transplant for these patients, which we can't [because of the shortage of organs]. The problem is that everyone has a different genetic susceptibility and a lot of people think they can drink a great deal more than they can.'

Earlier this year Tony Blair warned that binge-drinking was becoming a big social problem and warned the industry to curb 'happy hours' and other incentives that encourage the lads and ladettes culture.

Last week the industry's voluntary body, the Portman Group, produced a campaign warning that too much drink can ruin women's skin and cause weight gain and broken veins under the skin.

It pointed out that, among women aged 16 to 24, the proportion drinking more than 35 units of alcohol a week has risen from 3 per cent in 1998 to 10 per cent in 2002

Jo Revill, health editor
Source: The Observer - 29.8.04

Benefit figures reveal stress on women workers

Women now make up almost half of those claiming incapacity benefit in an alarming sign of the growing stress on female workers, experts are warning.

Downing Street is drawing up plans for a crackdown on the sickness culture which has left almost three million Britons on long-term benefits, arguing that many have been left to languish and could be helped back to work.

Differences over tackling the sensitive issue were blamed last week for prompting the resignation of Andrew Smith, the former Work and Pensions Secretary.
Government figures show the traditional stereotype of incapacity benefit claimants - older men, invalided out of demanding manual jobs often during a recession - is out of date. While the number of men on incapacity benefit is falling, the number of women is rising: in 1995 only 32 per cent of claimants were female, but this has now risen to 40 per cent.

The figures have prompted fears that incapacity benefit is becoming a 'refuge' for women driven from the workplace by stress and intolerable pressure. A recent survey by Top Sante magazine found almost half of the working mothers questioned had taken time off for stress, and almost eight in 10 would go part-time or take a less demanding job if they could.

Katharine Rake, director of pressure group the Fawcett Society, said the figures suggested a 'pretty unhappy picture' for women, adding: 'Incapacity benefit was always in some ways a benefit of refuge that men would use when they ran out of other options, and I think it's probably becoming a refuge as well for women.'
'An awful lot of it is to do with mental ill health, reflecting stress at work.'

Claims for incapacity benefit citing stress-related illness, anxiety and depression have risen by more than a third since 1997. Women are statistically more likely than men to be diagnosed with depression, although experts are divided over whether it is genuinely more widespread among women or whether they are just more prepared than men to admit to the symptoms.

Kate Stanley, researcher for the Institute of Public Pol icy Research which is due to publish a blueprint for incapacity benefit reform in November, said the rise in working women had made more women eligible for the benefit. But she said the rising toll of stress and depression was also having an effect, and would dictate the strategy adopted to reduce benefit claims: 'It may be that women find it easier [than men] to say they are depressed: perhaps what we call what's wrong with us varies between genders.

'Women may be struggling with their work-life balance and finding it difficult [at work]. There are all kinds of possible explanations, but the thing about mental health is that it's even harder to assess than physical impairment,' she said.
The government is considering a number of options for reforming incapacity benefit, including setting a time limit on how long it can be claimed. Smith is understood to have been unhappy with such proposals, arguing instead for an expansion of pilot schemes he set up which require the long-term sick to have regular interviews with personal advisers trained to find them suitable work.

The scheme, however, is expensive and unlikely to provide a quick solution. But friends of Smith said it was the only system proven to work.

'You have got to think about whether it is wise to take benefit away from somebody after they have been on it for a certain period of time - you are cutting it at the point they really need it,' said one. 'What you want to be doing is intervening in the first year [of claiming] extensively in order to get people back on the right track.'

Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for the Rhondda, the sickness capital of the UK, where one in three people of working age are on incapacity benefit, said he supported a crackdown but would prefer to see the pilot schemes expanded, with the state intervening much earlier in a long term sickness absence.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said the rise in female claimants was likely to be down to a mix of more women coming into the workplace and a rise in single women.

Previously, women who gave up work for health reasons might be supported by their husbands, but increasingly they are sole breadwinners.

Gaby Hinsliff, chief political correspondent
Source: The Observer 12.09.04

Ginola opens retreat for stressed celebs

David Ginola has opened an exclusive retreat in Wiltshire for stressed-out celebrities.The former soccer star has opened the retreat called The Centre - at a secret location.Despite the secrecy surrounding The Centre, Ginola invited a television crew in to make a BBC documentary, says the Daily Star.

The Centre's slogan is: "Be well, be safe, believe.""The Centre is very important to me. It's about trust and it's about truth," says Ginola.

The documentary presenter Eamonn Holmes, and the BBC camera crew, were given exclusive access for the hour-long show called David Ginola - Secrets and Lies.Holmes said: "This is a man who believes he has a gift, and anyone who meets him knows this to be true."The show will be screened on BBC3 at 8pm on September 19 2004.

Public opinion: Expert witnesses are in the dock

The increase in litigation, particularly in cases of abuse, child custody, accidents and stress, has meant a corresponding rise in the demand for expert witnesses to testify in court. Many trials hinge on the understanding of a particular syndrome, technology or process.

These expert witnesses are frequently drawn from the public sector: they are found in university laboratories, government agencies, research institutes and hospitals.

Professionals such as ergonomists, psychologists, IT specialists, doctors, bacteriologists and social workers are selected for their supposed expertise in a particular area.

Some “semi-professional” expert witnesses can double or triple their income, charging as much as £200 an hour. Some even “go private” because the pickings are so good.

Court appearances can be thrilling. Expert witnesses are often treated with respect by lawyers and judges and can even become minor celebrities.

But when experts get it wrong, there can be serious consequences. Last week national guidelines were published calling for judges to vet expert witnesses before they are allowed to give evidence.

The guidelines, from an inquiry chaired by Baroness Kennedy, were published after miscarriages of justice in which three mothers — Angela Cannings, Sally Clark and Trupti Patel — were wrongly accused of killing their babies. All three cases relied on expert evidence.

Since then, doctors who have offered opinions or given expert evidence in trials involving children’s safety have been investigated by the General Medical Council.

Apart from the fact that “expert” evidence may sometimes be plain wrong, many expert witnesses are poorly equipped to deal with courtroom appearances.

The greatest difficulty for many scientific and medical expert witnesses is, paradoxically, their training. Not only do they tend to speak in jargon and acronyms that make what they are saying impenetrable to the layman, they are also unused to being cross- examined.

All scientists deal with ambiguity and may favour one theory over another, but what lawyers want is certainty. This is often hard for expert witnesses to give and they can be flattered or bullied into giving an opinion that reflects their values as much as their knowledge.

And that can be a problem. Being an expert witness is a high-stakes game. A reputation built up over a lifetime can be destroyed by one mistake.

Being a good witness is a skill. Having “expert” knowledge is not enough. It is about being quick-witted and articulate; believable yet accurate. And being prepared to admit what you don’t know — even though you are the expert.

So I am not sure if it is cowardice or wisdom that leads me regularly to turn down opportunities to be an expert witness.

Adrian Furnham is professor of psychology at University College London

Source: Sunday Times 12.9.04

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Jobless steered onto the sick list

THE crisis over Britain’s mounting incapacity benefit bill is being fuelled by jobcentre staff who routinely encourage dole applicants to make claims for sickness when they have only minor ailments.
An undercover investigation by The Sunday Times has shown how easy it is to claim incapacity benefit, which costs taxpayers £7 billion a year.

Reporters who posed as dole applicants were wrongly told they could be eligible for sickness benefit by claiming they suffered mild stress, had girlfriend problems or found it hard to get up in the morning.

Obtaining a sick note to back up a claim proved easy as doctors were willing to sign certificates saying the reporters were suffering from “stress” or “anxiety”.

By gaining access to the benefit a claimant can stop seeking work and in the longer term there is access to more generous weekly payments. Claimants are taken off the jobseeker’s allowance and therefore do not boost unemployment figures.

The findings come as the government claims it is trying to crack down on false incapacity benefit claims. It is considering a two or three-year limit on sickness payments and may ask benefits officials to visit claimants’ GPs. In addition, Downing Street is drawing up plans to save £2 billion in the benefits budget by scrapping the disability premium, a “top-up” benefit paid to about 1.1m people under 60.

The Sunday Times investigation, however, found that little has been done to stop people switching to incapacity benefit if they are disinclined to work.

Two reporters approached staff at jobcentres in Co Durham, Manchester, Merseyside and southeast England seeking advice on possible benefits. Often, staff were only too willing to steer them towards incapacity benefit.

One reporter entered a jobcentre in Sheerness, Kent, to ask about her eligibility for the dole. She said she had left her last job because she had felt “tired and a bit down”, but was now “okay to work”.

The jobcentre’s adviser, however, did not think this was advisable and took it upon herself to suggest another benefit.

“We could process the (jobseeker’s allowance) claim for you. But I think you might be better going on sickness benefits,” the adviser told her. “Why don’t you go to your doctor and get a sickness certificate?” Claimants on long-term incapacity benefit receive a basic £74 a week, while jobseekers get £55.

The second reporter toured jobcentres in the north of England, saying he had been unemployed for seven months and had just moved to the area. He told a jobcentre in Salford, Greater Manchester, that he needed advice, saying: “I am having a few problems with my girlfriend and a mate of mine said I should look into other types of benefits.”

The adviser immediately suggested he could avoid work “due to personal circumstances” if he obtained a “sick note” from his doctor and claimed incapacity benefit. When the reporter said he was not “really ill”, the adviser said this did not matter.

“See a doctor and get a note and he can give you a note for whatever reason you need one for,” she said.

Obtaining the doctor’s certificate was as easy as the adviser had predicted. The reporter told Tracey Vell, a GP at the Surrey Lodge group practice in Victoria Park, Manchester, that he felt “stressed”, was having relationship problems and wanted to claim incapacity benefit.

Source: The Times on Line - 12.9.04

UK slogs around the clock

Britain is set to become an around-the-clock society as the number of people contributing to its night-time economy doubles in the next 15 years. A report by the Future Foundation thinktank, to be published tomorrow, suggests that by 2020 a quarter of the UK population - 13 million people - will be 'economically active' between the hours of 6pm and 9am, compared with just seven million now.

But while night hawks will rejoice at the news, experts warn that, as more people join the after-dark economy, stress levels will surge and family life will suffer.

The key to the rise of the 24-hour society is an increase in the average Briton's disposable income, leading to rapid growth in the leisure industry. The report predicts that:

· The amount of time the average Briton spends on leisure activities outside the home will increase by 31 per cent over the next 15 years. By 2020 people will spend 75 minutes a day eating out or going to the cinema, pubs and clubs, compared with 58 minutes now.

· There will be a 29 per cent increase in time spent shopping and travelling, up from an average 51 minutes a day to 66 minutes.

· Childcare will increase from an average of 51 minutes a day to 66 minutes.

· The average time spent eating at home will halve from just over 50 minutes now to 25 in 2020.

Eating and drinking continue to form the backbone of Britain's night-time economy and will become even more popular as the government relaxes licensing hours.

But household management, such as paying bills over the phone or banking online, is popular with 44 per cent of those who contribute to the night-time economy. Researchers found that between 4am and 9am call centres reported a surprising surge in customers.

The report, 'The Shape of Things to Come', commissioned by the credit card MINT, challenges the conventional view that the rise of a 24/7 culture is being driven simply by longer working hours.

Source: Tiscali News 12.09.04

Bullying at work mainly racial

WORKERS from ethnic minorities are five times more likely to suffer bullying in the workplace than their white colleagues, research by a Welsh university has revealed.

The research by Andrew Jones of the Valleys Race Equality Council and Dr Duncan Lewis, an international expert at the University of Glamorgan Business School on workplace bullying, found that a quarter of workers from ethnic minorities reported being bullied at work compared to just 5% of white workers.

The ground-breaking research is the first globally to focus on workplace bullying among ethnic minority employees.

The responses to the study, involving workers from numerous public and private sector employers, showed that many ethnic respondents were suffering a catalogue of bullying behaviours, not only via managers but also from colleagues of equivalent or lower grades.

The study, which anonymously questioned more than 250 respondents across a four- week period, revealed that 42% of those questioned had suffered bullying in the last six months, while 30% had suffered bullying for more than a year.

Dr Lewis said, "The respondents' experiences of being bullied demonstrate a significant impact on their work. Those who reported being bullied claimed to have reduced job satisfaction, motivation and attendance patterns.

"They also reported suffering stress burnout and increased levels of depression and anxiety. One in ten even reported suffering suicidal thoughts."

The research also suggests that victims lack confidence in their companies' internal support structures.

"Less than 15% of those who reported bullying turned to their HR department for help, while one third turned to their GP. Less than 10% took up official grievance routes," said Dr Lewis.

"These findings suggest that much more work needs to be done to understand the true nature and extent of bullying inside UK organisations and how support networks operate in practice. The current systems are clearly failing."

Until now, studies of workplace bullying have largely ignored the specific issue of ethnic minority employees.

But earlier this month a new bullying hotline for cabin crew and ground staff at Heathrow and Gatwick airports was jammed with calls. According to the trade union Amicus, 91% of the callers were from ethnic minorities alleging racist behaviour.

Dr Lewis and his colleagues are now working with Cardiff University in a bid to take this research forward nationally.

Companies who do not tackle racially-motivated bullying in the workplace risk not just the welfare of their workforce and possible legal repercussions.

Employers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees. If they fail to take adequate steps to ensure these rights, they may find themselves facing fines, compensation and even the possibility of a jail sentence.

A recent TUC survey of employees found workplace bullying contributes to the loss of 18 million working days every year.

Source: Rhodri Evans, The Western Mail - 10.09.04

Bosses warned of stress 'time bomb'

FIRMS do not know how to deal with their stressed-out workforce and are sitting on a "ticking time bomb", according to new research.

Just over half of human resources (HR) managers know what the company is legally required to do when managing stress, figures published by law firm Eversheds revealed.

A heavy workload was found to be the most common cause of stress (57%), followed by outside influences (20%), lack of training (10%) and bullying (6%).

Yet only 20% of companies have a stress policy in place in spite of the increasing trend of stress-related cases going to court, the poll found.

Serious implications

Paul Ball, employment lawyer and training specialist at Eversheds, said: "Employers are sitting on a ticking time bomb if they don't consider the serious implications stress can have on their business now."

He added: "A heavy workload, whatever the level of staff, is by far the most common cause of stress. This either means that companies are overloading their staff, or employees are afraid to speak up when they cannot manage their workload.

"Either way, it makes for a tense workplace."

Stress affects people in many ways and those firms which assume it is only those in high-powered positions who are affected are sorely mistaken, he added.

Source: Manchester on line 09.09.04

Health impact from 9/11 extensive

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly half of the over 1,000 screened rescue workers who responded to the September 11, 2001, attacks suffer from new or exacerbated respiratory, mental and other health problems, according to a government report.

Thursday’s report, from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, is the second in two days to find that firefighters, police officers and volunteers show persistent effects from environmental toxins and psychological stress.

On Wednesday, a similar study from the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, noted that many rescue workers suffer wheezing, shortness of breath, sinusitis, asthma and a syndrome called "WTC cough."

The latest health study, conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, showed that nearly half of the 1,138 people screened had problems that either began or worsened after being exposed to the dust, airborne toxins and pollutants unleashed by the collapsed buildings.

"These preliminary findings of the WTC Screening Program demonstrate that large numbers of workers and volunteers suffered persistent, substantial effects on their respiratory and psychological health as a result of their efforts," said Dr. Stephen Levin, co-director of the World Trade Centre Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program.

Source: Tiscali News - 09.09.04

Migraine - or just a headache?

Migraines affect ten per cent of the population of the UK - or six million people - but they are often still dismissed by many as just another headache. Migraine Awareness Week aims to change that perception...

DEBILITATING, frightening and much misunderstood - migraine is the most common neurological condition in the developed world but few non-sufferers appreciate how serious it really is.

It affects ten per cent of the population and there are more than six million migraine sufferers in the UK - more than the number of diabetics, epileptics and asthmatics combined.
But migraines are still dismissed by many people as just a headache.

Migraine Awareness Week, from September 5-11, aims to change this by informing the public about this condition which disrupts millions of people's lives.

Anita Few, Executive Officer of The Migraine Action Association which has organised the awareness week, says migraine is far more than `just a headache'.
"Migraine is a serious neurological condition which has a really serious impact on people's lives.
"Migraine Awareness Week is aiming to change these perceptions but also raise awareness among GPs and pharmacists. Many GPs have little understanding about how serious migraine is and there's little training for them."

More than a third of migraine sufferers face discrimination at work, a recent survey by The Migraine Trust found, and 40 per cent have their social lives disrupted by the condition.
Alan Bartle, chief executive of The Migraine Trust, says: "Our concern is that many people just don't realise how significantly sufferers are affected - every working day up to 90,000 people are absent from work or school as a result of migraine.
"The recent talk about unpaid sick leave and days off sick is particularly worrying for migraine sufferers, many of whom feel that their condition is not taken seriously enough by employers."

MIGRAINE: THE FACTS

Migraine is a neurological condition causing sufferers to experience a series of recurring headaches in one part of their head, lasting between four and 72 hours.
This is often accompanied by sensitivity to light and noise, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and eyesight changes.

In 15-20 per cent of attacks the headaches are preceded by an "aura". These involve visual disturbances including blind spots, flashing lights or zigzag patterns, confusion, inability to concentrate and tingling or pins and needles on the affected side of the head.
Author Lewis Carroll, a migraine sufferer, was believed to have formed his ideas about Alice's wonderland while experiencing these "auras".

During an attack blood vessels in the brain dilate and then draw together, which stimulates the nerve endings near the affected blood vessels. These changes to the blood vessels are probably what cause the pain.

CAUSES

Migraine is still not fully understood but it's believed the release of the chemical serotonin into the bloodstream causes changes in the brain's neurotransmitters and blood vessels which cause the attack.

Sufferers have found a range of factors can trigger an attack but the most common are: dairy products - particularly cheese; chocolate; alcohol - particularly red wine; citrus fruits; fried foods; monosodium glutamate (MSG) found in processed foods; bright lights or loud noises; changes in the weather; stress or anxiety; and tiredness.

TREATMENT

Simple painkillers like aspirin can be effective if taken early in the attack, combined with an anti-vomiting drug if the sufferer feels nauseous.
Doctors can prescribe stronger painkillers and there are a series of specific drugs called 5HT1 agonists which act directly to correct the serotonin imbalance. These can cause severe side effects though so are not suitable for everyone.
To prevent the attacks in the first place sufferers have to persevere in identifying which factors trigger their attacks - usually by following an elimination diet or being tested for food intolerances and allergies.

They may have to cut out various foods from their diet, while relaxation techniques can also help reduce the number and severity of attacks.
Other non-drug treatments such as the herbal remedy Feverfew and specially tinted glasses can be effective.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The Migraine Trust - www.migrainetrust.org or call the helpline on 020 7436 1336.
The Migraine Action Association - www.migraine.org.uk

Source: Southampton Daily Echo 7.09.04

The benefits of Employee Assistance Programmes

When Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) first appeared, the emphasis was on counselling for emotional problems. Now, EAPs have broadened to include “signposting” assistance, such as helping staff with childcare and eldercare difficulties and assisting with legal problems. The provision of an EAP can result in a real win-win situation, with significant benefits to both employers and employees.

Right outcome, wrong reasons

EAPs first started to appear in the UK in the early 1980s but were, over the next 20 years, implemented by only a small minority of employers. Then stress hit the headlines and EAPs were given a major boost by a landmark legal case. In Sutherland v Hatton, the Court of Appeal laid down some important guidelines, including one stating that employers that offer a counselling service with access to treatment will rarely be held to be in breach of their duty of care to employees — which is the principle underlying the liability of employer organisations for claims relating to work-related stress. Although this has resulted in a fresh burst of interest in EAPs, employers should really be looking at them from a far wider perspective, since they are far from just being a form of insurance against stress claims and actually offer other benefits that are arguably much more significant. In fact, figures from the US show that the use of EAPs returns $7 for every $1 invested and UK employers have reported savings of between £6 and £10 for every £1 spent. There are several ways in which such savings are achieved.

The tangible — and intangible — benefits

To begin with, EAPs help to reduce the amount and, therefore, the cost of absenteeism. Organisations with a counselling service have 2.6 days less absence per employee per year. Although this may reflect the fact that such employers are more caring in a number of ways (which may also contribute to these lower figures), a CBI survey into causes of absenteeism has established that the provision of counselling has the most valuable impact.
Counselling can help not only with cases of stress but also with other emotional problems, some of which may lead — if untreated — to stress. Others may simply have an adverse effect on concentration, motivation and performance. Such problems may embrace not only those whose causes, such as bullying or change management, are directly work-related, but also personal problems ranging from alcohol and drug dependency to bereavement and relationship difficulties.

Furthermore, these days EAPs go beyond emotional problems and, additionally, help employees with a whole range of practical concerns, including:

problems faced by carers, ranging from childcare to care for disabled dependents and elderly relatives
financial matters such as debt counselling and advice on mortgages, pensions, state benefits and taxation
legal issues, including consumer rights, matrimonial law, neighbour disputes and probate and traffic offences.

The initial knee-jerk reaction may be to ask why employers should spend money helping staff with such matters. The simple answer is that it is cost effective to do so. To take just one example, an employee who needs to identify appropriate childcare or eldercare facilities has to do an enormous amount of phoning round — 16 hours on average, of which about 80% may have to be done during working hours. Multiplied by the number of employees who may have such problems, this costs the employer a significant amount of money in lost time. The specialist expertise and databases of EAP providers, on the other hand, can result in the whole problem being dealt with in just one telephone call.

Not only does this save time and, therefore, money but it also means that members of staff are spared the distress that often accompanies the need, for instance, to deal with a problem such as arranging care for a parent who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or the worry of finding a reliable child carer. Emotional distractions of this kind can have a noticeable impact on employees’ performance in their jobs.

However, it is not just a question of saving time and money. Providing an EAP is also one more way in which employers can show that they really do care about their employees, and caring employers find it easier to attract and retain staff.

It is this broadening of the scope of EAPs, with its accompanying need for information databases and advisors who are specialists in their field of knowledge, that has led to the growth of dedicated EAP providers. However, this is not the only reason that they tend to be the preferred means of providing help, rather than — for example — employers either providing an in-house counselling service or referring staff to outside information or counselling organisations, such as Citizens Advice Bureaux or pastoral counselling services.

In addition to being a “one-stop shop”, EAP providers can be available on a 24/7 basis, which is not the case with either in-house services or other external alternatives. Then there is the question of confidentiality, which may deter employees from using in-house counselling services, whereas this worry is far less likely to discourage them from using an external source. Finally, there is the expertise specialist providers have in communicating the value of their services to members of staff, which both encourages take up of such schemes — thereby ensuring that both employees and employers really do achieve the benefits — and maximises the goodwill benefit to the organisation. Some EAP providers even go so far as to distribute information to all staff at regular intervals on subjects like managing stress, work-life balance, personal financial management and — at school holiday periods — childcare promotions listing available local activities and contacts.

EAP providers charge on the basis of the number of staff employed by the organisation. Annual costs vary between £10–£25 per head (depending on factors such as the range of information and counselling covered); whether it is confined to assistance by telephone or whether face-to-face counselling is also available and whether the service is available to employees’ families or only to members of staff.

In choosing a provider, employers should consider not only these factors — rather than just the price — but should also check out the qualifications and experience of the advisors and counsellors who will be dealing with calls. It is important, too, to ensure that employees who use the service will not experience the negative reactions people so often go through when phoning a typical call centre. This is particularly crucial with regard to employees with emotional problems, given that it may have been difficult for them to make that initial telephone call.
Employers should also ask the EAP provider to give them a dedicated account manager and check what information they will receive on how staff use the service. Although details of individual calls must obviously be completely confidential, EAP providers should provide a clear analysis of usage of the service and of the kinds of problems being raised, highlighting areas requiring action — which might, for instance, include bullying, stress or sexual harassment.
Finally, if they are to get the full value out of Employment Assistance Programmes, employers must take steps to ensure that such action really is taken and that its effectiveness is properly monitored.

Croner Consulting 3.09.04

Work week hits the weekend

MOST people are having to work at weekends to catch up with deadlines, fuelling the UK's reputation for long hours, according to a new report out this week.

A survey of 1,000 employees showed that four out of five took work home with them and a similar proportion worked late or put in extra hours on Saturdays and Sundays.

Firms were urged to make sure their staff were not overworked because it could lead to stress.

Danny Done, managing director of recruitment firm Portfolio Payroll, which conducted the research with employment law company Peninsula, said treating work as a priority could have a detrimental effect on staff. He said, "Carefully monitoring the workload and work duties helps to prevent stress in the first place,"

Source: The Western Mail - Sep 8 2004

Workplace Stress on the Increase…and We're Taking it Home

Preliminary UK results of an international business stress survey conducted by aggression and stress management specialists, Protectics Limited, indicate that workplace stress may be on the increase. Two thirds of respondents believe their individual stress levels have increased or remained static over the past three years, with only 32% reporting a reduction. The survey results suggest that more than a third of British workers are ‘stressed’ in their jobs, with 10% suffering from considerable stress. What’s more, 60% of those experiencing stress say they feel the effects at work and at home.

(PRWEB) September 7, 2004 -- Preliminary UK results of an international business stress survey conducted by aggression and stress management specialists, Protectics Limited, indicate that workplace stress may be on the increase. Two thirds of respondents believe their individual stress levels have increased or remained static over the past three years, with only 32% reporting a reduction. The survey results suggest that more than a third of British workers are ‘stressed’ in their jobs, with 10% suffering from considerable stress. What’s more, 60% of those experiencing stress say they feel the effects at work and at home.

Perhaps most worryingly, when asked how the feelings they experienced were manifest, an alarming 60% of people who experience some level of stress don’t cope well with it. While some choose to ignore the stress they are under, 22% report some level of depression and an alarming 29% say they “get aggressive”.

When the respondents were asked what “stresses” them most at work, the majority (55%) put it down to being overworked or not having enough time. For 41% simply being listened to or treated fairly would bring their stress levels down. Employers will be pleased to learn that only a tiny 3.5% blame poor pay.

Commenting on the survey results Robert Agar-Hutton, the founder of Protectics and author of How to Deal with Verbal Aggression, said, “These are worrying results for individuals and for British businesses. Some level of stress is quite normal and for some individuals it is a prerequisite however the inappropriate reactions to stress, particularly depression and aggression, lead invariably to poor business performance and can result in a crisis from which the individual concerned may not fully recover.

“The ways in which people deal with stress can be categorized as non-coping strategies (getting depressed, ignoring stress, getting aggressive) and coping strategies (relaxing, stress management techniques) - 60% of people do not use coping strategies. This may well be explained by the fact that knowledge of and training in stress management techniques, in a formal business setting, is a relatively recent practice - most people have to try and cope with whatever personal resources they have.

For some, those resources are inadequate and the particularly worrying statistic is that 29% of respondents stated that they get aggressive. This is always a poor response to stress. It can actually lead to increased stress (often for others) and reduced business performance.“

Aggression and violence in the workplace, either verbal or physical, is unacceptable and employees have a right to safety. Employers have a duty (both legal and moral) to provide a safe working environment but they can take heart from the fact that these are issues that can be addressed without throwing huge sums of money at the problem. It’s clear that wholesale pay rises will achieve very little. What is required is a change in management practices and guidance for workers on coping with stressful situations in the workplace.”

Stress is fast becoming the number one concern amongst business owners, managers, staff and Unions. However most research seems to concentrate on one industry segment and a fairly narrow geographical sample. The Protectics Stress Survey is an ongoing project to examine stress levels internationally. To date responses have been received from individuals in the following countries: The United Kingdom, Bangladesh, the United States of America, Canada, Nepal, Oman, Malaysia, Ireland, Australia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, New Zealand, France, Switzerland, Botswana, Belgium, Algeria, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and the Philippines. Although not yet statistically significant the results to date from other countries broadly mirror those from the UK.

Source: PRWeb - 7th September 2004

Walking back to happiness!

IT'S 10,000 steps to happiness and fitness co-ordinator Andrea Madden reckons walking is the easy way to a healthy lifestyle.

Walking has become fashionable again and local councils are urging people to rediscover their feet.

Local health experts are working to show just how easy it can be to become healthier and happier without too much effort - or costly gym memberships.

They are organising special lunchtime walks as well as drawing up packs of walks people can do in their own time.

As a result, the sight of a gang of people walking around East Lancashire town centres with a purposeful stride at lunchtime is now the norm.

Andrea, health and fitness co-ordinator at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "The recommended 10,000 steps a day is enough to keep people healthy without an expensive gym.

"It can be incorporated into daily routines too. People can try the stairs instead of lift, or walk to someone else's desk rather than using the phone. It all adds up. People join gyms with the best of intentions but after six to 10 weeks, most have dropped off because it interferes with their regular routine.

"Walks can be done in a lunch break and, as a result, people tend to stick to it."
The Walking The Way To Health Initiative has helped set up schemes run by councils, across the country.

Experts there reckon regular walking improves confidence, stamina, energy, weight control and life expectancy. It can also reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure, bowel cancer, Alzeheimer's disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, anxiety and stress.

Source: Lancashire Evening Telegraph - 8th September 2004

Japan princess unlikely to return to work

Palace doctors believe Japan's Crown Princess Masako, who has spent the past eight months in seclusion fighting a stress-induced illness, will not likely resume her royal duties until sometime next year, officials said Monday.

The pronouncement by palace doctors treating the princess comes as her husband and Japan's royal heir, Crown Prince Naruhito, prepares to head Wednesday for Brunei, where he is to attend the gala wedding of the tiny sultanate's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah.

Once again, however, the 44-year-old Naruhito will be going alone.

The palace announced last week that Masako will not accompany him to the Brunei wedding, and on Monday an official said Masako's doctors believe she still needs a good deal more time to recover.

"It is the opinion of the royal doctors that it would be difficult for her to return to her duties this year," he said, demanding anonymity.

The official refused to comment further.

Palace officials have tried to play down Masako's illness, offering only the thinnest of explanations since the 40-year-old princess withdrew from the public eye late last December and urging the media to exercise "restraint" in its coverage.
But the princess' drawn-out battle with bouts of depression caused by the pressures of palace life has swelled into the biggest crisis faced by Japan's imperial family in decades.
Amid increasing calls for openness, the palace announced in July that Masako was suffering from an adaptive disorder and was being treated through counseling and drug therapy.
This weekend, Masako appeared in public briefly for the first time in four months, waving to cameramen from the back of a limousine taking her and Naruhito from their royal residence to the nearby Imperial Palace, where she met with her in-laws, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

Masako's disappearance has been a great disappointment to the Japanese public, who had hoped the affable and cosmopolitan princess might add a spark to Japan's famously staid and tradition-bound imperial family.
Educated at Harvard, Oxford and Japan's prestigious Tokyo University, Masako left a career in Japan's Foreign Ministry to marry Naruhito in 1993.

Source: Shenzhen Daily - 8th September 2004

Stress Responsible for one in five Heart Attacks

Croner - 6th September 2004

Stress is responsible for around a fifth of heart attacks worldwide, according to a major international study.

The news will cause particular concern in the UK where the long hours culture leads to high levels of work-related stress. Heart disease is also the UK's biggest killer.

INTERHEART studied 30,000 people in 52 countries across all inhabited continents and found the picture is the same for men and women of all ages, all ethnic groups and in every geographical region. Stress was identified as an important indictor, even when allowances were made for the assumption that stress led to other contributory factors such as a poor diet, heavy drinking or smoking.

Examining the effects of stress more closely the researchers found that people who had had heart attacks had previously suffered from higher levels of stress at work and at home. The survey will add to the pressure from trade unions for action over issues like workplace bullying, poor training and long hours that can leave employees stressed out.

Work Stress at Record High

IT Management - Anthony Savvas - Tuesday 7th September 2004

Almost 90% of European IT directors say their health and personal relationships are suffering as a result of their jobs.

The annual Pressure Point Index survey of 700 IT directors across Europe, carried out by IT services company Synstar, shows that the pressure of the job is steadily building up.

One-third of IT directors said managing an impossible workload is their biggest worry. And almost a third admitted that a feeling of almost losing control is pushing them to the limit. Add the fact that a quarter also felt their bosses are setting them too demanding targets and it is no wonder that Synstar's Pressure Point Index (PPI) has reached a high point of 200.

The PPI is calculated by gauging respondents' concerns about 16 different IT and business issues. Synstar said the PPI is increasing by 2% a year.

Russell Flower, Synstar director of managed services, said, "IT directors wear two hats - on one it says IT strategist and the other reads IT fire-fighter - but there simply are not enough hours in the day to do both."

The survey also found that a third were concerned about the business benefit they were getting from IT, and a quarter were worried about their job security.

The "least" worried IT directors were found in the Netherlands, where 61% were having sleepless nights about their jobs, and the most stretched were in Spain, where 90% admitted to problems.

In the UK, 68% suffered from their job, which was higher than Germany (65%) and lower than France (76%).

Overall, the most stressed IT managers worked in retail (76% of respondents) and the least were in banking (67%).

Four out of Five Staff Work Weekends

Martin Wainwright - Tuesday September 7, 2004 - The Guardian

Britain is moving towards the abolition of the traditional weekend, according to an employment survey, which suggests that only one in five workers get a genuinely free Saturday and Sunday.

Children with homework are finding their catch-up grind shared by parents who have failed to finish work on time, or else are chasing promotion or extra money from overtime.

The change in lifestyle, encouraged by reforms which have blurred weekend boundaries, particularly Sunday opening of shops and businesses, was reported by more than 800 of 1,000 employees questioned.

Many took work home with them to finish off, instead of joining family outings. Others went back into offices or factories to work extra shifts, including staying late on both Saturday and Sunday nights.

The trend is alarming, according to the survey's organisers Payroll Portfolio, a London employment agency, and the employment law specialist Peninsula, which is based in Manchester.

Initial increases in productivity from the sheer amount of time worked are likely to be lost through stress, the firms say.

Danny Done, managing director of Portfolio, said that the spread of work across the full seven days of a week threatened a healthy work/life balance. The two firms recently surveyed a possibly related downside for employers - the number of workers lying about being sick to get a day off. Exactly the same proportion as the weekend workers, four fifths, of 927 employees questioned admitted the ploy.

Managing Pressure to Achieve Excellence

Thursday, September 30, 2004

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