If ypu see symtoms of stress
- If only one employee is stressed, this might be due to conditions in his or her job function or personal life.
- If several employees are showing symptoms of stress, there is reason to pay extra attention: Conditions at the workplace may have to be changed.
Start by reading the pages about types and causes of stress in this section. This provides basic information about what stress is, the causes of stress, and the most common symptoms of stress.
Read also the Your responsibillities as a manager page. This includes advice and ideas on how management (together with the health and safety group) can work specifically on preventing and dealing with stress.
The quick method
If you want to address the subject of stress at a small workplace, a simple staff meeting may be a good place to start. The meeting will help you put into words what stresses you and what prevents or relieves stress. At the end of the meeting, you can all assess whether there is a need to launch initiatives.
- Watch the film about stress together.
- Talk about the film: What is it like at our workplace?
- What can we do to reduce stress?
Initiatives based on a health and safety risk assessment
In your health and safety risk assessment, you should map psychological working conditions, including factors which may lead to stress. The health and safety risk assessment will give you an indication of the seriousness of the stress problem.
There are several ways to conduct a health and safety risk assessment:
- The dialogue method by which you identify the problems at a staff meeting and discuss causes and solutions together.
- The questionnaire method by which you collect employees’ opinions and experiences in writing, and then find causes and solutions either in the health and safety group or at a staff meeting.