Stress Management

7 Pages 1690 Words

Stress can affect anybody working anywhere. It is an individual reaction and can reveal itself both physically and psychologically, and although it is not an illness, it capable of causing ill health. Statistics show that (work-related) stress affects approximately one in five employees and costs companies in the region of £370 million every year. So what is stress? There are a few ways in which to define it:

1. A simple (or more personal) definition “it is what I think and feel when I believe I cannot cope”
2. The Health and Safety Executive define it as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures, or other types of demands placed on them”
3. A more technical definition “it is a negative imbalance between pressures, demands and challenges and the individual’s personality, behaviors and coping skills”.

Stress is not something to be taken lightly. Not only does it cost companies large amounts of money, it has undesirable effects on employees. It is one of the most significant causes behind sickness from work. A lack of attention to employee well-being has potential legal and cost implications and increasing awareness of stress is vital. Stress also has a knock on effect; one employee becomes stressed, then employers become harassed worrying if they can cover the loss of work (if the employee takes sick leave), catch up on work loss and afford the costs of stress. In addition to the costs, the law demands that employers must deal with work-related stress, and there is a number of legislation which apply:

 The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
 The Working Times regulation 1998
 The Public Order Act 1986
 The Employment Rights Act 1996
 The Protection from Harassment Act 1997


There are a number of recognised factors which might lead to work-related stress. The main cause of stress seems to be the job itself, which can involve a work overload...