About half of work-related ill health is down to stress, depression or anxiety and we can all help to keep ourselves and each other well by
- knowing what's normal
- talking about stress
- knowing what to do when someone needs support.
Causes of work-related stress
Demands - How working patterns, workload and environment can impact on stress.
Control - Do you feel involved in decisions about your role, that you have a say in it and your skills are used well? If not, what improvements could be made?
Support - Do you feel supported in work and are there opportunities to discuss any issues? Do you know where you can get support?
Relationships - How do you feel about the communication at work? Do you know what to do if you see or experience unacceptable behaviour such as bullying or harassment?
Role - Do you understand your role and responsibilities and how they fit into the wider organisation?
Change - Is change handled well at work? Are you consulted on planning and that the reasons for change are clear to you?
5 steps to address stress at work:
- Reach out and start conversations with colleagues, know what's normal for you and for others - click here for ideas
- Recognise the signs and causes of stress and be aware when things change - click here for a free quiz.
- Respond to any risks you find: talk about it, ask for help or remind others how and where they can get support - click here
- Reflect on changes - are they working? Do your plans need tweaking? If so, how?
- Make it routine to check in on how you and others are feeling. Normalise talking about stress and remember how you might feel different around certain flashpoints, eg winter, festive stress, bereavement, anniversaries of upsetting personal or local events
This information is taken from the HSE Working Minds website here.
