Peter J Kelly Higher Occupational Health Psychologist HSE Health Psychology Unit

1. Framework Agreement on Work-Related Stress European FrameworkHSE: Management Standards on Work-Related Stress in the UK Peter J Kelly Higher Occupational Health Psychologist HSE Health Psychology Unit Email: peter.kelly@hse.gsi.gov.uk For more information visit www.hse.gov.uk/stress

2. Management Standards Approach Background: • Launched November 2004 • Legal status ‘guidance’ • Approach has been piloted with willing 100 • 64 workshops taken place within five primary sectors SIP 2 • HSE Inspectors being trained on what to look for

3. 07 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 The Management Standards Approach Timeline: Real Solutions Real People HWS Workshops HSC Discussion document: Managing Stress at Work SIP1 Public Consultation HS(G)116 Stress at work Pilot of draft Standards SIP2 94 Work & Stress: Technical papers published Enforcement! HS(G) 218 Tackling work-related stress Cox et al: Risk management approach to the prevention of WRS EC: WRS Spice of life or kiss of death? Cox: Stress Research & Management HS(G) 218 Managing The Causes of Work-related Stress DETR: Revitalising Health & Safety HEBS: Work Positive Launch of Management Standards

4. The Management Standards Approach 1. Identify the hazards: Understand The Management Standards CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 5. Monitor & review: Monitor actions 2. Who can be harmed and how: Gathering data 4. Record findings: Action Planning 3. Evaluate the risk and take action: Linking problems to solutions

5. Understand the Management Standards The six areas are: • Demands: workload, work patterns, and the work environment • Control:  How much say the person has in the way they do their work • Support: encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues • Relationships: promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour • Role: Whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles • Change: How organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation.

6. The Management Standards DEMANDS: The standard is that: • Employees indicate that they are able to cope with the demands of their jobs; and • Systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns. States to be achieved are: • The organisation provides employees with adequate and achievable demands in relation to the agreed hours of work; • People’s skills and abilities are matched to the job demands; • Jobs are designed to be within the capabilities of employees; and • Employees’ concerns about their work environment are addressed.

7. Sector Implementation Plans (SIP) SIP1 (Willing 100) • 68 Organisations from five primary sectors completed programme • Evaluation completed SIP2 • 64 Workshops held in 2006/07 • Approx 1800 delegates form 900 organisations • 3 tier support (phone, master class, consultant selection) • Follow up inspections 07/08 • Evaluation underway

8. Enforcement! • 100 HSE Inspectors have been trained in WRS • Guidance issued to Inspectors on what to look for • Follow-up inspections within five primary sectors (health, central & local gov, education and finance) • Inspections being carried out on a targeted basis • Inspections will focus on interventions rather than process issues

9. Healthy Workplace Solution Workshops Over 90% of delegates rated the sessions as very useful or useful 85% agreed that the workshops gave them knowledge to take forward the MS in their organisation 81% agreed that the workshops would enable presentation of a convincing case to senior managers for tackling sickness absence But – only 38% already had Board level agreement to implement the MS, or thought they were very likely to have agreement in the next 12 months.

10. Key lessons from users • There is no “silver bullet” so don’t waste time looking • Try and align with existing initiatives; ‘don’t reinvent the wheel’ • It is the small things that make the difference • Once we agreed that the Management Standards must be incorporated into every day work, it worked well • Reintroduced regular team meetings to address workload, local cover and other immediate issues • The Trust now expects managers to thank staff • These initiatives require managers to take ownership of their staff.

11. Comments from users • This has been a positive experience for all involved • The process would have been a waste of time without the Unions • The message for staff is “help us make your working life better” • Staff have been given a voice and the opportunity to use it • This has been a really interesting, exciting, worthwhile process. It has also been hard work and frustrating at times • Must not be half-hearted, you only get one chance to ‘get it right’. • Some interventions very simple and cost neutral • We have already seen an increase in staff motivation • We should encourage others to do it ‘an excellent approach’.

12. WHAT NEXT? • HSG218 updated to reflect current knowledge • Evaluation is ongoing • Healthy Minds at Work project initiated to deliver revised web based guidance • Revised and new guidance being produce based on comments from users • Stress programme to engage with all employment sectors, including SMEs • Research on management competency (RR553) • Enforcement!

13. Summary • Practice has verified the theory • Senior management commitment has been difficult to obtain and retain • Users find that risk assessment is the easy part of the approach • Organisational learning remains a challenge – embeding the process needed. • Management competency appears to be a challenge in the majority of our primary employment sectors • Following the Management Standards approach can deliver significant improvements in performance.

14. Questions? Thank you for listening Visit the Management Standards website: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards