Stress Management Competencies Roadshow ----------- Alan Bradshaw Partner, Work-Life Solutions

1. Stress Management Competencies Roadshow ----------- Alan Bradshaw Partner, Work-Life Solutions www.the-stress-site.net alan@work-life-solutions.co.uk

2. About Alan Bradshaw • Involved in stress management field since 1996 • Founded first UK-wide stress consultancy 1998 • First management training with a stress risk management, accounted for 80 – 90% of business • Trained/managed many of UK’s top consultants • Helped organizations develop stress policies and implement HSE Management Standards • Became a director of QoWL in 2007 • Now Partner in Work-Life Solutions • Main aim is to promote evidence-based stress management in UK and Europe

3. What’s it all about, Alan? Well, it’s about.... STRESS ....and... MANAGEMENT ....and of course... COMPETENCIES!

4. What we’re covering today... • Some essential background and context • Links with HSE Management Standards • Stress Management Competencies Research • A look at the Framework and BEHAVIOURS • Applications, tools and interventions • Case Study Video: Northumbria NHS • Next steps if you want to use this approach • Questions

5. A quick look back... • Statutory legal aspects : Health & Safety Law and Regulations • Common Law Stress Cases • HSE Management Standards (2oo4) • A framework, standards, tools and a process to follow to manage stress risks • The problem is that the Management Standards’ approach hasn’t been as effective as hoped for...

6. Limitations of Management Standards? • Seen as the province of ‘Health & Safety’ • Implementation largely down to HR and managers • Ignored by senior/operational Managers “not our problem” • Seen as bureaucratic and time consuming • Survey fatigue (and fears about the results!) • Not day-to-day people management • Led to Stress Management Competencies research....

7. Interviews with nearly 400 managers and employees + workshops with HR/OH/H&S • Produced framework with 19 behavioural themes Rigorous research process 2. Questionnaire survey with over 800 managers and employees + further workshops Refined framework to 4 broad themes, with 12 sub-themes • Testing whether we can help managers use and develop the behaviours identified • We can help managers change behaviour

8. A closer look at manager behaviour

9. Brief Critical Incident Exercise: • Reflect on a stressful situation where your manager’s behaviour: • Made the situation better (prevented or reduced stress), or; • Worse (caused more stress, created new stress) • Discuss this with the person sitting next to you… • What manager behaviours made it better or worse? • Will the research findings agree with you? Let’s see…

10. Management competencies (skills/behaviours) for preventing and reducing stress

11. Managing with Respect • Managing with Respect is about managing emotions, having integrity and taking responsibility. • Specific behaviours: • Integrity – this is about being a good role model, treating team members with respect and being honest; not saying one thing and doing something different • Managing emotions – this is about staying calm in a crisis and being consistent, and not passing stress on to your team • Considerate approach – this is about showing respect and consideration for others, providing positive rather than negative feedback and not making unrealistic deadlines

12. Managing Workload • Managing Workload is about managing and communicating existing and future work. • Specific behaviours: • Proactive work management – this is about managing workloads proactively; communicating objectives effectively, prioritizing, planning and reviewing work so that stress is prevented • Problem solving – this is being decisive and about how you deal with and follow-up on work problems that do occur. • Participative/empowering – this is about how you involve people, consult them and delegate work; the extent to which you enable control, empower your team and encourage participation

13. Managing Indviduals • Managing Individuals is about the way you manage and relate to individuals within the team. • Specific behaviours: • Personally accessible – this is about being accessible and providing opportunities for face-to-face communication, for example speaking personally rather than using email • Sociable – this is about being friendly, sociable and willing to have a laugh at work • Empathetic engagement – this is about being a good listener, taking an interest in others and understanding their motivations

14. Managing Relationships • Managing Relationships is about reasoning and managing difficult situations at work, including conflict. • Specific behaviours: • Managing conflict – this is about intervening early and acting as a mediator; also being objective and dealing with issues head on rather than merely acting to keep the peace • Use of organisational resources – getting advice and support from others when needed to resolve relationship issues and conflicts • Taking responsibility for resolving issues – following up, supporting employees and making it clear you are taking responsibility for resolving issues

15. So, we know now what the stress management behaviours are... • But how are we going to change manager behaviour? • Exercise: Reflecting on your own experience, what’s likely to lead to you actually changing your behaviour? (you can consider any behaviour such as weight loss, giving up smoking, fitness/exercise) • Discuss with a partner – what factors are most likely to help you make real and lasting changes?

16. Behaviour change theories Theories and models of behaviour change: • Stage Theories e.g. Prochaska and DiClemente (1986) • Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance • Social Cognitive Theories e.g. Bandura (1986) • Importance of role models and self-efficacy • Theory of Reasoned Action / Planned Behaviour • Importance of behavioural intentions, attitudes, beliefs and subjective norms; later revised to take account of importance of ‘perceived behavioural control’

17. Behaviour change: what helps? • A manager displaying positive behaviours – ROLE MODEL • A Positive Organizational Culture - CULTURE • Feedback on your behaviour – FEEDBACK, AWARENESS • A desire to change – DESIRE, INTENTION, MOTIVATION • A feeling that you can change and have the skills to change – CONTROL, TRAINING/COACHING, SELF EFFICACY • Moral support when you need it – ENCOURAGEMENT, PRAISE, SOCIAL SUPPORT • Practical help when you need it – RESOURCES • Ongoing help and support – FOLLOW-UP, REINFORCEMENT

18. Changing manager behaviour:Research (phase 3) intervention 3mths later Upward feedback Interactive workshop Follow-up upward feedback

19. Intervention and tools • Most effective process is: Assessment + Upward feedback + workshop (+ follow-up) • Assessment uses SMCIT – If 360, can include manager, direct reports, peers, own manager • Feedback is one-to-one using 360 report (may require training/coach to deliver) • Interactive Workshop (“Preventing Stress: Promoting Positive Manager Behaviour”) • Explores importance; raises awareness; equips with tools; enables discussion of issues, development planning; mutual support

20. Additional applications? • Stress / well-being policies • As a guide to specific development interventions e.g. conflict management training • Integrate into manager induction programmes • Framework and tools for management coaching

21. Case Study Implementing Stress Management Competencies at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

23. What’s next... • Extensive follow-up information by email • Research, info booklets, audio/video, web-links, 360 etc • If YOU want to deliver the intervention (either in-house or as a consultant/practitioner)... • Preventing Stress: Promoting Positive Manager Behaviour train-the-trainer courses 29thand 30th November in NW (separate courses) facilitated by Emma Donaldson-Feilder • Enables delivery of workshop intervention in-house • Access to all training materials • Upward feedback / 360 training and coaching available

24. What’s next... • If you want to implement this approach, but DON’T want to deliver it, Work-Life Solutions can organise / provide: • In-house training for your managers • A commercial 360 service (managed service, automated report generation) • One-to-one 360 feedback (on-site or remotely) • Coaching

25. Questions? Any questions about the research, framework, tools, intervention case study, training or anything related to the stress management competencies?

26. Some final comments • Stress Management Competencies are the skills and behaviours line managers need to prevent and reduce stress at work • A framework, tools and interventions are available to anyone wishing to use this powerful approach • Training is being provided for interested organisations, consultants and practitioners • We will follow-up with resources, links and train-the-trainer information

27. Thanks for listening! • Please leave evaluation slips on your seats • We’ll be in touch very soon with links and resources, and information about the train-the-trainer events on November 29th and 30th Alan Bradshaw Partner, Work-Life Solutions alan@work-life-solutions.co.uk www.the-stress-site.net