Briefing: Stress Awareness Month 2022 - finding support in your workplace community

13 Apr 2022

Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 to raise awareness of the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic. In this briefing, the Stress Management Society looks at how employees can find support within their workplace community.

The last two years have been the most challenging we have faced and in 2020 our services were overwhelmed by people that are struggling and seeking support. This year our theme is Community. We have chosen this theme because lack of support can cause loneliness and isolation, which in turn lowers people’s wellbeing, impacts mental health and can lead to mental illness. Social isolation is an important risk factor for both deteriorating mental health and suicide. As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s vital that the community support experienced by many people during this challenging time continues. Although restrictions have mainly been lifted, people need support now more than ever as they adjust to a new way of living.

The pandemic has had a hugely detrimental effect on the nation’s mental health and sense of community. Disrupted social lives, the cancellation of large gatherings, travel restrictions and working from home have kept us in one place for long periods of time. However, one of the positives to emerge from this unparalleled situation has been the community spirit and support shown by so many to so many.

Community

A community is much more than just a group of people. It’s about having a sense of belonging and connection to others and feel supported and accepted by them. Relationships are one of the most important aspects of our lives. People who are more socially connected to family, friends, or their community are happier, physically healthier and live longer, with fewer mental health problems than people who are less well connected. People in neighbourhoods with higher levels of social cohesion experience lower rates of mental health problems than those in neighbourhoods with lower cohesion, regardless of how deprived or affluent a neighbourhood is.

Conversely, a lack of community support can result in feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Feeling lonely has a negative impact on mental health, particularly when these feelings are longstanding, and research suggests that it is associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep problems and increased stress.

Socialising with others has multiple benefits for our mental health. Whether it’s a sport, hobby classes or volunteering, activities like these all give meaning and purpose to our lives and make us more confident. Having the opportunity to laugh and chat with others in social situations serves to temporarily distract us from our worries by turning our focus outwards instead of inwards. And being able to talk through problems and share our worries with others decreases our stress levels. As the saying goes, a worry shared is a worry halved, and less worry equals less stress.

Volunteering may be especially good for reducing stress because, much like socialising, it turns our focus outwards. Moreover, helping others with their problems, can help us gain a more positive perspective on our own difficulties. Plus, there are the associated benefits of working together with other like-minded people to achieve a worthwhile goal. These factors all weigh heavily on the positive side of the mental health spectrum, and so increase our mental wellbeing while uniting in us in a shared sense of purpose.

The workplace

Stress in the workplace can affect every aspect of an organisation, from absenteeism rates to interpersonal relationships. It’s vital to recognise the signs of stress as early as possible so that actions can be taken before serious stress-related illness occur. The challenge that we face when spotting stress is that everyone experiences it in different ways, which contributes to stress manifesting in very different ways.

Looking at an organisation as a whole, there are signs that a workforce are stressed. This can manifest itself as:

High staff turnover
Increased absenteeism and sickness levels
Long-hours work culture
Employees not taking their full holiday entitlement
Low productivity and efficiency

Stress should be seen as a hazard to everyday work life just like any other aspect of health and safety. When addressing the stress, the main objective should be minimise the risk of stress-related illness or injury to employees. This means being proactive – raising awareness and making provisions against stress-related illness and injury at all levels of the organisation.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) makes suggestions on the things that need to be considered at different levels of the organisation.

At board level
Directors need to consider how they will:

Monitor factors that might suggest there is a problem with stress-related illness in the business, for example, high rates of absenteeism, staff turnover, poor performance, conflict between staff.
Ensure there is a health and safety policy that addresses the issue of stress in the workplace, including, if appropriate, a stress management strategy.
Ensure effective risk assessments have been carried out, are monitored regularly and any recommendations are being implemented and adequately funded.
Plan for stress-related risks when embarking on significant organisational change.

Human resources and health and safety managers
HR and Health and Safety Managers have an important role in assisting employers to proactively address work related stress, and in doing so reduce the likelihood of employees suffering from work related stress.

Depending on the structure of the organisation, HR and Health and Safety managers may wish to consider how they will:

Keep up to date with best practice relating to work related stress.
Conduct and review risk assessments.
Find out about specific issues that may indicate that risk assessments need reviewing or updating – such as evidence of an employee suffering stress or larger management changes to the business.
Provide information to employees about stress-related illnesses and their obligations to inform managers about risks at work.
Feed back any wider concerns about risks to health from stress at work to board level.
Examine stress as a possible factor in relation to frequent or long-term absenteeism for individual employees.
Identify what medical and other evidence is required to determine whether the employee may have a disability. If so, consider whether the employee is being treated less favourably for a reason related to the disability and whether there are reasonable adjustments that could be made.
Report their concerns to appropriate senior personnel while maintaining any obligations of confidentiality.

Line managers
From a line manager’s perspective, legal responsibility rests primarily with the ‘employer’ who is responsible not only for action or lack of action at board level but also for all those employed by them.

Line managers have an important role in assisting employers to proactively address work-related stress, and in doing so reduce the likelihood of employees suffering from work-related stress.

Examples of issues line managers may wish to consider include:

Whether stress may be a factor in relation to frequent or long-term absenteeism for individual employees.
How they will monitor and address potential sources of stress.
Identify what medical and other evidence is required to determine whether the employee may have a disability. If so, consider whether the employee is being treated less favourably for a reason related to the disability and whether there are reasonable adjustments that could be made.
Report their concerns to appropriate senior personnel while maintaining any obligations of confidentiality.

Employees
Employees also have a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and of others who may be affected by their actions.

Employees should:

Inform their employer if they feel the pressure of the job is putting them or anyone else at risk of ill health.
Suggest ways in which the work might be organised to alleviate the stress.
Inform their employer if they are suffering from a medical condition that appears to be long-term and is affecting their ability to carry out day to day tasks, including memory and learning.
Discuss any reasonable adjustments that could be made to assist them in performing their job.

For more information about Stress Awareness Month and the range of activities, training and guidance for employees and employers, click here.