About Stress Risk Assessments
HSE defines stress as "the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them". Pressure is part and parcel of all work and helps to keep us motivated, but excessive pressure can lead to stress which undermines performance, is costly to employers and can make people ill.
Well-designed, organised and managed work helps to maintain and promote individual health and well-being. But where there has been insufficient attention to job design, work organisation and management the benefits and assets associated with ‘good work’ could be lost. One common result is work-related stress.
All employers have legal responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to ensure the health safety and welfare at work of their employees. This includes minimising the risk of stress-related illness or injury to employees.
Good practice benefits everyone - some examples have been listed below:
Economic benefits
Lower risks of litigation – because they comply with legal duties
Improved return on investment in training and development
Improved customer care and relationships with clients and suppliers
Reduced costs of sick pay, sickness cover, overtime and recruitment
Benefits for individuals
People feel more motivated and committed to their work
Morale is high
People work harder and perform better – increasing their earning power
People feel that they are part of a team and the decision-making process, so accept change better
Relationships – with managers and within teams – are better
People are happy in their work and don’t want to leave
Line managers can outwardly show their duty of care
Line Managers can demonstrate good management skills that could help their promotability and career development.
Management benefits
Reduced staff turnover and intention to leave, so improving retention
Better absence management
Fewer days lost to sickness and absenteeism
Fewer accidents
Improved work quality
Improved organisational image and reputation
Better staff understanding and tolerance of others experiencing problems
The HSE have identified that stress must be managed just as any other workplace risk should be.
Results you should expect
Many organisations suffer with stress absense that could have been avoided if managers understood stress, what signs to look and then the organisation had a policy in place to deal with any problems as the arose. Recent statistics confirm that work-related stress is widespread in the UK working population and is not confined to particular sectors or high risk jobs or industries.
Working with MESH you can be fully assured that the Stress support provided will help your organisation to identify the necessary improvements needed to prevent your staff from finding themselves unable to cope with coming to work and therefore ending up on long term sick leave. This cis likely to be financially costly and would have a negative impact on your business. Our Stress risk assessments will ensure you understand what actions you will need to implement as a business.
MESH Consultants have used our extensive experience in Stress risk assessments to ensure peace of mind for clients in a wide range of industries throughout the UK.
Featured Case Study
Client: National Maritime Musuem
Sector: Service
Thanks for all of your help you have pointed us in the right direction.
MESH was asked to complete a stress assessment on a member of staff working for the National Maritime museum in Greenwich. The results of the assessment were fully documented in a detailed report provided to the HR manager to enable the museum to identify what reasonable adjustments it could implement to assist the individual concerned.
Your Options
MESH can offer a range of Stress risk assessment options to organisations throughout the UK:
1. We undertake one or a series of full individual Stress assessments for your staff, and report back on our findings and recommendations.
2. We can train persons within your organisation to undertake Stress risk assessments.
3. We can assist organisations by training their line managers to recognise and deal with stress at work and will develop stress management procedures if required.
4. We can undertake a stress audit of an organisation and report back findings and recommendations to management.
What we provide is support, training and information to organisations that will help them manage stress more successfully and reduce costly absense.
Costs
Costs of Stress risk assessments vary depending on the numbers of assessments to be carried out and the type of stress support service provided.
As a guideline, fees for work recently undertaken have ranged from £275 for a one off assessment to £625 for a group of assessments that were needed.
We believe our pricing is very competitive but we don't compromise on quality and you can be assured that our assessments will prove to be a benefit to your business. We would expect you to shop around for quotations but would encourage you to check what level of service is being provided. Ask yourself whether you getting an assessment that will make a long-term difference to the health and safety of your staff and your business. If in any doubt, please do contact us without obligation.
Where we work
MESH carry out Stress Risk Assessments for companies in a diverse range of industries throughout the UK.
Our Head Office is in Kent, with regional offices located in London, The Home Counties, The Midlands, and The North East.
