1.Introduction
C&P Group Holdings Ltd, as employer has a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees as far as reasonably practicable. It is also required to have in place measures to mitigate as far as reasonably practicable, factors that could harm employees‟ physical and mental well-being, which includes work-related stress. This duty extends only to those factors which are work-related and within the Group’s control.
This policy accepts the Health and Safety Executive definition of work-related stress as “the adverse reaction a person has to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them”. There is an important distinction between “reasonable pressures‟ which stimulate and motivate and stress where an individual feels they are unable to cope with excessive pressures or demands placed upon them.
This policy recognises that there are many sources of work related stress and that stress can result from the actions or behaviours of managers, employees.
The Health and Safety Executive has produced a number of Management Standards which cover the primary sources of stress at work that, if not properly managed, are associated with poor health and well-being, lower productivity and increased sickness absence. These are:
- Demands – i.e., workload, work patterns and the work environment.
- Control – i.e., how much say the person has in the way they do their work.
- Support – i.e., the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.
- Relationships – i.e., promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
- Role – such as whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles.
- Change – such as how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated within the organisation.
The Group’s performance on well-being and stress management will be assessed in the context of the QHSE Management Standards.
2. Statement of Intent
The Managing Director and the Group’s senior managers acknowledge the potential impact that work has on an individual’s physical and mental health, and that there is a persuasive business case as well as a moral and legal duty for taking steps to promote employee wellbeing as far as reasonably practicable.
The Managing Director and the Group’s senior managers are committed to fostering a culture of co-operation, trust and mutual respect, where all individuals are treated with dignity and can work at their optimum level.
The Managing Director and the Group’s senior managers recognise that work-related stress has a negative impact on employees’ well-being, and that it can take many forms and so needs to be carefully analysed and addressed at an organisational level.
The Employee Wellbeing Policy expands upon the Group’s Health and Safety Policy, setting out how the company will promote the wellbeing of employees by:
- Creating a working environment where potential work-related stressors, as far as reasonably practicable, are avoided, minimised or mitigated through good management practices, effective Human Resources policies and staff development.
- Increasing managers’ and employees’ awareness of the causes and effects of stress.
- Developing a culture that is open and supportive of people experiencing stress or other forms of mental ill-health.
- Developing the competence of managers and employees through the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours framework, so that they manage staff effectively and fairly.
- Engaging with staff to create constructive and effective working partnerships both within teams and across the group.
- Establishing working arrangements whereby employees feel they are able to maintain an appropriate work life balance.
- Encouraging staff to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing through effective health promotion programmes and initiatives.
- Encouraging staff to take responsibility for their own work and effectiveness as a means of reducing their own stress and that of their colleagues.
3.Responsibilities for implementing the Employee Wellbeing policy
3.1 The Managing Director and the Group’s senior managers will:
3.1.1 Support steps taken to develop a culture of co-operation, trust and mutual respect within the Group.
3.1.2 Champion good management practices as set out in the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours framework, and the establishment of a work ethos within the Group which discourages assumptions about long term commitment to working hours of a kind likely to cause stress and which enables employees to maintain a reasonable “work life balance”.
3.1.3 Promote effective communication and ensure that there are procedures in place for consulting and supporting employees on changes in the organisation, to management structures and working arrangements at Group level.
3.1.4 Encourage initiatives and events that promote health and wellbeing.
3.2 Managers and Supervisors will:
3.2.1 Treat individuals reporting to them with consideration and dignity, and will promote a culture of mutual respect in the teams they manage. They will not permit unacceptable behaviour and will take decisive action when issues are brought to their attention.
3.2.2 Ensure that there is good communication within their team and there are opportunities for individuals to raise concerns about their work, seeking advice from the Group’s QHSE Manager at an early stage where concerns are raised.
3.2.3 Adhere to the sound management principles set out in the Group’s Human Resources policies and procedures.
3.2.4 Attend training as appropriate in order to increase their awareness of the causes and effects of work-related stress, e.g. Mental Health First Aid Course
3.2.5 Co-operate with QHSE Manager to ensure that risk assessments are undertaken for roles or working practices that may give rise to work-related stress.
3.2.6 Encourage their staff to participate in events and initiatives undertaken by the Group to promote well-being and more effective working.
3.2.7 Take action in the interests of all their colleagues where performance by a member of staff may cause stress to their colleagues.
3.3 Employees will:
3.3.1 Treat colleagues and all other persons with whom they interact during the course of their work with consideration, respect and dignity.
3.3.2 Co-operate with the Group’s efforts to implement the wellbeing policy, attending briefings and raise their own awareness of the causes and effects of stress on health.
3.3.3 Raise concerns with their line manager if they feel there are work issues that are causing them stress and having a negative impact on their wellbeing.
3.3.4 Take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing by adopting healthy lifestyles.
3.3.5 Take responsibility for their own development skills as one of the means to enable them to work effectively in their team and so reduce of the risk of stress.
3.3.6 Take responsibility for working effectively in their assigned roles, thus helping to avoid causing stress to their colleagues.
3.4 Human Resources will:
3.4.1 Provide advice to managers of staff and employees on best practice in relation to human resource management, developing policies and procedures as required.
3.4.2 Ensure that there are arrangements in place for communicating the content of the Groups’ human resource management policies, procedures and toolkits to managers and staff.
3.4.3 Develop arrangements to enable managers and staff to achieve the necessary competencies in relation to the good management practices set out in the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours framework.
3.4.4 Ensure there are arrangements in place to support individuals experiencing stress, referring them to the Group’s QHSE Manager who will contact external Occupational Health advisers where appropriate.
3.4.5 Ensure there are arrangements in place to support managers experiencing problems with employee performance.
3.4.6 Collate management information which will enable the Group to measure its performance in relation to stress management and employee well-being, such as: • Sickness absence data • Staff turnover • exit interviews • Number of referrals to the Occupational Health contractor • Numbers of grievance and harassment cases.
3.4.7 Seek the views of employees on the effectiveness of the Groups’ Employee Wellbeing policy and stress management arrangements using staff surveys and other appropriate questionnaires.
3.5 The QHSE Manager will:
3.5.1 Ensure that the Wellbeing policy is kept under review and updated as appropriate, under the remit of the Health and Safety Committee.
3.5.2 Develop an institution level risk assessment based on the Health and Safety Executive’s “Management Standards for Work-related Stress”.
3.5.3 Assist and support managers to undertake local stress risk assessment where required.
3.5.4 Organise, in conjunction with the Human Resources Dept, appropriate events and initiatives to promote health and wellbeing.
4. Arrangements for implementing the Wellbeing policy
4.1 Risk Assessment
4.1.1 At departmental / site level. Where problems arise at a local level, a risk assessment will be undertaken by the relevant manager with the assistance of the QHSE Manager. The QHSE Manager will issue HSF134 – Mental Health – Individual Risk Assessment and Action Plan (a checklist template for managers to use for this propose). When risk assessments are undertaken at a departmental / site level, the employees working in the area which is subject to the risk assessment will be consulted.
4.2 Arrangements for well-being and stress prevention through good management practices.
These include the following:
- Recruitment and selection procedures.
- Clear job descriptions and person specifications to ensure that the ”right‟ person is recruited for the job.
- Agreed knowledge, skills and behaviours for managers, to be cascaded through to all levels of management and supervision.
- Training and Development procedures to ensure that individuals have the necessary skills and competencies to undertake the tasks / duties required of them.
- Promotion and reward procedures.
- Managing performance procedures
- Capability and absence management & return to work procedures to ensure that individuals are supported back into work following illness.
- Suitable adaptations for disability.
- Anti-harassment and anti-bullying procedures.
- Procedures for communicating with employees on the work of the Group and issues affecting their work.
- Flexible working arrangements, and contact days with staff on maternity leave. These arrangements will be updated and augmented as required and when deemed necessary by the findings of stress risk assessments.
5. Consultation
5.1 C&P Group Holdings Ltd will consult with its employees on the Employee Wellbeing Policy and measures taken to implement the policy.
5.2 Staff surveys will be used to gather feedback on the Employee Wellbeing Policy.
5.3 The views of individuals will be sought in areas or teams subject to local stress risk assessments.
6. Communicating the Well-being policy and measures taken by C&P Group Holdings Ltd to manage work related stress.
6.1 The Employee Wellbeing Policy will be published on the company website.
6.2 Leaflets will be produced for employees who do not have easy access to a computer.
6.3 The Well-being policy will be promoted in Staff News.
6.4 The contents of the policy will be covered during general induction training sessions for employees and specific training on stress awareness.
7. Monitoring and reviewing the Employee Wellbeing policy.
7. 1 The Employee Wellbeing policy will be reviewed annually by the QHSE Manager in conjunction with the Human Resources Dept.
7.2 This review will involve an examination of the management data referred to in Section 3.4 which will be collated by Human Resources, together with feedback from the Staff Survey.
7.3 A review of the employee wellbeing policy will be conducted within the QHSE meeting, where any proposed revisions or amendments recommended by the health and safety committee will then be forwarded to the Managing Director.