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Monday, January 24, 2005

It’s been another busy week in stress.

It’s been another busy week in stress – with new developments including the following …

Business owners all over the world are much more stressed than just one year ago, according to Grant Thornton’s 2005 International Business Owners Survey. Research of more than 6,000 business owners in 24 countries shows that stress levels have rocketed by more than a third worldwide – a picture mirrored in the UK where the most common reasons cited for contributing to stress were regulation and red tape (37%); more demanding customer expectations (31%); concern about not spending enough time with friends and family (30%); and cash flow within the business / increased pressure on profit margins (26%)

Top of the international stress table are business owners in Taiwan where 69% of those questioned said their stress levels had increased or increased significantly in just one year. They were followed by Hong Kong (54%), Turkey (54%), Mexico (54%), India (53%), the Philippines (53%), Japan (51%), Russia (51%) and South Africa (50%). Business owners in every country surveyed reported stress levels up in 2004.

Teaching and social work have been ranked as the most stressful professions, according to new research. The occupations appeared in the top three for both poor psychological wellbeing and physical ill health caused by stress. Occupational psychologists also concluded that “emotional labour” involving face-to-face or telephone contact with clients, and sometimes the suppressing of emotions, was a central factor in what makes a job stressful. Other professions also found to involve high levels of stress were ambulance service employees, call centre staff, prison officers, clerical and administrative staff and police officers.

Helping to rehabilitate employees who have taken time off work due to stress or other mental health problems is a significant and growing challenge for employers. Research by the CIPD shows that more than half of employers reported an increase in stress-related absence last year. The length of time an individual is off work has a strong relationship to the likelihood of returning to work – with studies showing that after six months’ absence there is only a 50% chance that an employee will return to work; at 12 months this falls to 25%; and after two years there is practically no chance.

Ben Willmott, CIPD employee relations adviser, says: “Employers must do more than simply request and file a sick note if they are to cut absence. Managers should engage with their staff to get to the root of the problem and help staff to get back into the workplace. Employers need to have a clear rehabilitation policy in place. This will help to ensure staff are aware of available assistance and managers are clear about the role they play in the process.”

£300,000 of Government money is being made available for projects that help people who are suffering from stress in rural areas. Charity and voluntary groups and partnerships, at both national and local level, have until 9 February 2005 to submit applications for funding under the fifth Defra Rural Stress Action Plan. A second application window will be open after March. The Action Plan, which is administered by the Rural Stress Information Network, is aimed at helping rural people who are suffering from or are at risk of stress in four target groups: owners, occupiers and workers on the land; people who run small rural businesses and their employees; people with debt problems; and people at risk of suicide.

For informed comment or advice on any of the above, please contact us at: info@carolespiersgroup.com


Friday, January 21, 2005

Croner

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Work-life balance moves to top of the agenda for workers

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Scotsman.com Business - Management - Rehabilitation is key to helping mental health sufferers return to work

Telegraph | News | Teachers and social workers top league of stressful careers

icBirmingham - Short days may cause darker moods at work

Education news & jobs at the Times Higher Education Supplement

Serious About News

Monday, January 17, 2005

Stress news update for week of January 14 2005

Even though the Christmas and New Year celebrations ended less than two weeks ago, there have already been some significant developments in stress this year – including the following …

Offering staff more flexible working hours is just as likely to make them stay with a firm as increasing their pay, a new report suggests. A survey of 250 employees found that most would consider moving to a new job if the working week was more flexible.

The TUC has criticised claims that the country has become ‘Sicknote Britain’. It said it was untrue that British workers have the worst record for calling in sick when there is nothing wrong with them, and that workers are actually less likely to take short-term sick leave than those in any other European country except Denmark. The TUC also said employers who are serious about cutting sickness absence should improve the work-life balance for their staff and make the working week more flexible; and hit out at commentators who suggested that stress was not a big problem.

The Times has reported growing fears among small businesses that the HSE’s new Management Standards for work-related stress could open the way for legislation. One of the major drivers for these fears were comments from trade unions saying that the guidelines are too weak, and that with stress the biggest cause of absence from work, legislation is ‘essential’.

Research published on 5 January found that nearly three-quarters of firms think an additional New Year Bank Holiday would enhance the productivity and morale of their employees. It was suggested the poll of HR professionals indicated that the additional holiday might help to combat ongoing increases in occupational stress and absenteeism, and reductions in productivity.

The Asian Tsunami has raised some complex issues related to UK employment law. Among these are the rights to time off for staff affected by the disaster; entitlement to statutory sick pay; coping with stress and bereavement at work; changes to working patterns; the provision of counselling and employee assistance programmes; bullying; and how to take account of these issues within stress risk assessments.

Reuters has reported the results of a new study suggesting that while stress has been linked to a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, having an overly stressful job does not appear to do so. The study reviewed information collected from more than 37,500 women about their workplace stress, and followed them for up to eight years, noting who developed breast cancer. Women in so-called ‘active’ jobs – those with high workplace demands but also a lot of latitude when making decisions - were actually 17% less likely to develop breast cancer than women in ‘low-strain’ jobs, where they had a lot of control over a limited number of workplace demands.

Amicus, the UK’s largest private sector union, has said that it will ‘wage war’ on bullying in 2005, with a mass regional programme to expose employers who tolerate bullying in the workplace. The union deals with countless cases of workplace bullying every year, many of which go to tribunal. In 2004 it took the decision not to reveal the names of companies who failed to deal with the problem adequately, but has said that in 2005 it will expose those companies that tolerate the worst cases.

Finally, having a cold bath in the morning could cut stress levels among workers, research has found. The study by the University of Hull found the regime of cold showers taken by athletes could be transferred to the world of work. Dr Peter Clough said stressed workers often became hot and sweaty, but their condition eased if they had a cold bath in the morning. He said the research showed cold water also increased mental toughness.

For informed comment or advice on any of the above, please contact us.

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | 'Debt has undoubtedly been the biggest source of stress'

Friday, January 07, 2005

Times Online - SME

Thursday, January 06, 2005

Free Downloand on workplace rights and Tsunami

Telegraph | News | Resting easy by quitting rat race

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

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