IB8 Flashcards
Identify a range of information sources an employer could use to determine the extent of work-related stress for workers within an organisation.
There are a number of information sources that could be considered:
- Results of any assessment of stress management( eg assessment made using the HSE management standards approach guidance).
- Absence levels and rates ( compared with historic or benchmark rates).
- Reasons are given for absence when self-certificating and given on fit notes.
- Return to work interviews.
- Records of staff turnover and poor timekeeping (late attendance, early departure).
- Complaints (both formal and informal) received from workers and formal grievances or disciplinary issues.
- Data from exit interview (given when a worker leaves the organization)
- Medical assessment and health surveillance reports.
- Data on workplace productivity and efficiency
- Accidents/ incidents and work-related ill-health rates.
- Staff surveys and questionnaires.
- Records from appraisals.
An organisation operates a call centre to handle customer service enquiries. The call centre operates between 08:00 and 20:00, seven days a week.
Outline the potential causes of stress to call centre workers for EACH of the UK Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) Management Standards below:
(a) demands;
(b) support;
(c) relationships.
(a)
-The type of workloads imposed on the workers with targets to achieve make call center agents exhausted and stressed, Handling high volumes of customer calls, pressure to meet the targets certain demands of this job profile which leave the agents under a lot of stress.
-The nature of the job, Doing the same routine task everyday and adhering to rigid telemarketing scripts
-Working hours (e.g.
excessively long) 12 hours.
(b)
lack of support in terms of information, instruction and training to do the work and having no-one to
turn to when pressure increases (e.g. no advice/counselling service).
(c)
- Mnaging difficult and angry customers is a real challenge for the agents
- Being required to cope with unacceptable behaviour such as bullying, harassment and violence leading to a lack of trust in colleagues
- Cultural differences such as language, religion and ethnicity; Feeling isolated.
(a) Outline the physical, mental and social effects of stress at work.
(b) Outline the legal obligations on employers in relation to occupational stress at work.
(a)
Physical
Stress increases heart rate and blood pressure. As a consequence, headaches are often experienced. In the long term, heart disease and hypertension can occur. Muscle tension is another common symptom, along with increased sweating.
Mental
Chronic stress can lead to loss of self-confidence and self-esteem. This in turn can lead to depression. A sufferer may find mental processing difficult and may struggle to make simple decisions. Their ability to control their emotions may suffer with the effect that they may become withdrawn or suffer mood swings and perhaps be prone to aggression.
Social
As mentioned above, sufferers may become socially withdrawn, may turn to alcohol, prescription drugs or non-prescription drugs. Absenteeism from the workplace may increase. Family breakdowns may occur.
(b)
The obligations on employers, in relation to occupational stress at work, can be divided into:
The general duty of the employer to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable the safety, health and welfare of his employees.
The requirement on the employer to undertake an assessment of the risks to which his employees are exposed.
The civil liability that an employer may have if they fail to adequately manage pressure when workers suffer ill health and it was known that they could not cope with the demands placed upon them.
Outline appropriate procedures to minimise the risk of violence to local authority employees required to make official visits to people’s homes.
The identification of risk factors through the risk assessment process. This might be done at a strategic level within the organisation to start with. However, local procedures might be developed that require a risk assessment for each home visit.
Development of an organisational policy on violence within the workplace in general and violence associated with home visits in particular.
The provision of information about risks to employees, so that they are aware of policy and procedures and are able to make informed decisions as to their own work.
Various types of training for employees. This would include training to enable the employee to provide a good service, hence avoiding frustration and annoyance on the part of the client, one of the triggers for violence in the first place. Training might also include interpersonal skills, to allow employees to moderate their own behaviour to avoid trigger points and reading the tell-tale signs of building anxiety or annoyance in others. This type of training can be taken a step further into diffusion training, where active aggression recognition and handling skills are taught. Break-away training might also be taught, to allow an employee who is physically attacked to get away from their attacker with the use of reasonable force.
Communications equipment would have to be provided and some form of calling-in protocol developed. This is usually carried out just prior to and immediately after each visit. This may require the logging of intended routes and remote supervision of lone workers out in the field.Lone-working should be avoided where possible and in some instances may be banned (in certain areas or with certain clients). Staffing levels will have to be maintained so as to permit these kinds of visits to be done in pairs.
Client vetting will be appropriate and notes kept on clients who do have a history of violent incidents. This might also be done in liaison with other agencies.
Reporting procedures and paperwork will have to be developed and broadcast, so that incidents are brought to the attention of management.
Emergency procedures would have to be developed, so that an immediate planned response can be carried out in the event of incidents such as hostage taking. This might include the use of key words or phrases to alert supervisors of risk without alerting assailants.
Valuables such as cash, laptops, etc. should not be carried as they act as a trigger for robbery.
Attention must be paid to the clothing worn by employees, avoidance of loose clothing that is easy to grab and hold and use of clip on ties.
Simple rules such as visiting during the hours of daylight, parking in publicly visible areas, parking so as to be able to drive straight out of the parking bay, etc. should be developed and communicated
Identify:
(a) FIVE major causes of stress at work.
(b) FIVE strategic management issues to be addressed in order to reduce or eliminate the causes of stress at work.
Unreasonable pace of work - being asked to meet unrealistic deadlines with inadequate resources and support.
Lack of control over work - not having the power and authority to make changes to the type of work done, the work methods used, work priority or even environmental factors associated with the workplace, such as workstation layout, temperature, etc.
Inadequate managerial support - poorly developed management policies and poor support on a day to day basis.
Demanding work schedules - shift work, shift patterns and changes of shift pattern, in combination with long hours of work and inadequate rest breaks.
Feelings of isolation - notable social isolation within the workplace, which may result from physical isolation or may result from workplace culture.
Bullying and harassment - either overt or covert of any employee by any other employee, though this is usually the bullying and harassment of a junior worker by a more senior worker.
Physical work environment factors - such as lighting, temperature, noise, space, etc.
(b) :
Positive organisational culture (objectives, communication, staff involvement).
Careful management of change (flexibility, openness, fairness).
Clear role definition (clear responsibilities, role in the organisation).
Job design and staff selection (job should match skills and abilities, need for training).
Work schedules (flexible, agreed, and reasonable).
Work relationships (interpersonal skills training, grievance procedures).
Staff working in the accident and emergency department of a large city hospital are exposed to the risks of violence, stress and manual handling.
(a) For EACH of these three health risks, outline how exposure can occur and review the factors that may increase the chances of A&E staff being exposed to them.
(b) Outline a range of preventive and protective measures that the hospital could consider in order to eliminate or reduce the risks to staff from ALL three risks
Violence. Staff have to deal with patients, who may be in pain and distress and therefore be unable to control themselves. They may also be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. If they are accompanied by other people (family or friends), they may also be distressed or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Stress. Work in an A&E dept will be at a very fast pace, and on occasion there will be high volumes of patients waiting to be attended. The work may be critical in its nature, i.e. life or death decisions are being made by staff in very short periods of time. Staff work under fear of violence from patients. The need to hit targets may contribute to the pressure that staff work under.
Manual handling. Most of the handling will involve the movement of patients. They may be unconscious, injured or under the influence, and not able to move themselves. Patients come in all shapes and sizes, are inherently difficult to handle and may struggle or resist handling. On occasion, equipment will have to be handled and it may be necessary to do so quickly. The environment in which handling is taking place may be cramped, with varying numbers of people around, and therefore not ideal for the handling operation.
(b)
I. Violence. CCTV can be used for waiting areas and communal areas; this may act as a deterrent. Panic alarms can be fitted, so that in the event of an incident help can be called quickly to the area affected. Security staff might be positioned in A&E, to act as a deterrent, but also to intervene should an incident take place. Training on diffusion techniques and break away techniques can be provided for staff. The hospital must adopt a clear policy on non-tolerance of violence and can back this policy up by excluding offenders or prosecuting patients following violent assault on staff. Good communication is essential within the A&E dept; between staff, to ensure that they are aware of situations, but also good communications to patients about waiting time, etc. so that frustration does not build. Attention to the design of waiting areas, so that they are pleasant and have good facilities, can minimise annoyance, as can minimising waiting times.
II. Stress. Good staff recruitment and selection procedures are essential, so that those working in A&E are those best able to cope with the inherent pressures of the role. Information and training must be provided to staff on recognising the signs of stress in themselves and others and stress management techniques. Some form of access to counselling should be provided; this might be done internally by peer group review or through external sources. Attention must be paid to the management of workload by careful design of work patterns, shift patterns and distribution of work amongst staff. The hospital must adopt a clear policy on stress management and must not ignore or penalise sufferers.
III. Manual handling. Training in patient handling techniques would be mandatory for all staff. This would include the appropriate use of team lifting techniques. Patient handling equipment would be necessary in many instances (e.g. wheelchairs, hoists and trolleys). Good housekeeping in A&E would be essential to control the environment in which handling might take place. Equipment would be designed for ease of handling, e.g. placed on wheeled trolleys, or designed with lifting handles.
you have been asked by the Board of a major UK bank to provide advice on occupational stress
(a) Review the sources of information that may be used to assess the risk of high levels of stress.
(b) Review the occupational factors that can contribute to the incidence of stress-related problems amongst bank employees.
I. Information Sources
There are a number of information sources that could be used to assess what level of risk is there is in the bank. A starting point might be to engage in informal discussions with employees and supervisors, or with managers trained in risk awareness who could provide useful feedback. Performance appraisals also provide feedback from staff as do return-to-work discussions after persons have been absent.The safety committee may provide a forum to discuss stress related issues and these may also be brought up at team briefings. The bigger picture regarding stress may be established from sickness and absence data and also from health surveillance data. Productivity data and the range of formal and informal complaints submitted are also indicators. A high staff turnover may be indicative of a stress problem and exit interviews can be used to substantiate this. Analysis of the results from in-house questionnaires would also provide valuable information.
II. Factors
The HSE Management Standards cover six key areas of work design that represent the primary sources of stress at work. They define the characteristics, or culture of an organisation where the risks from work related stress are being effectively managed and controlled and consequently identify the occupational factors that can contribute to the incidence of stress-related problems. The organisational culture is the primary determinant and a supportive stress aware culture with open communication should provide an environment where significant levels of occupational stress are less likely. Demands can stress the individual, arising from work load, the physical environment or in a bank situation, threats of violence and generally dealing with the public interface. Control, how much say the person has in the way they do their work, and their degree of participation in its organisation is another important factor. Work relationships can generate stress and bullying, harassment and the degree of trust that employees have in the organisation are all important factors. Conflict, ambiguity, clarity and individual competence are issues that can cause stress in relation to a person’s role at work. Consequently, organisations need to provide support which includes listening, encouragement to raise problems, involvement in decision making and achievement of a work-life balance
Dental practitioners and receptionists often work alone and can be subject to work-related violence/aggression from patients.
(a) Outline why dentists and receptionists may be at risk of work related violence/aggression from patients.
(b) Outline control measures that could help reduce work-related violence/aggression from patients.
- working with people under the influence of drugs or alcohol, mentally ill people, unrestricted movement of the public in clinics and hospitals
- impatience (due to waiting, lack of information or boredom)
- Another very significant risk factor is lone working especially during night time.
- the increasing presence of gang members, long waits in emergency or clinic areas that lead to client frustration over an inability to obtain needed services promptly
- poor design of premises
• Post-incident handling and the support and counselling services made available to staff after an event
(b)
- Changing the layout of public waiting areas. Better seating, lighting, décor and more regular information about delays can stop tension building up in hospital waiting rooms, housing departments and benefit offices.
- Re-designing counters to increase width or height to give staff protection from physical contact.
• Securing loose objects, such as display stands and chairs, so that they cannot be used as weapons in the event of
an incident.
• Using panic buttons, personal alarms, mobile phones, etc. to enable rapid contact for assistance. Technology has developed rapidly in this area and low-profile devices exist that can send an alarm, give GPS co-ordinates and
transmit real-time audio in the event of activation.
• Using security measures, such as cameras, protective screens and security-coded doors to monitor staff and prevent unauthorised access.
*
• Employing security staff to act as a deterrent and to control assailants in the event of an incident.
Space and layout – consider good visibility and avoid trapping points;
Lighting, decoration, and furnishings – it is important to create a relaxing environment
Noise – banging doors, trolleys, PA systems can be stressful. Sound absorbing surfaces and materials may reduce the ambient noise levels
Information – People can get annoyed if information is not available. Consider clear signage and visual displays to inform people.
•Use of work activity risk assessment protocols to identify and address potential problem activities.
When designing treatment :
-the selection of furniture and fittings which are difficult to use as weapons;
-the ease with which the employee can escape
-the provision of suitable alarm systems;
• Prosecution of offenders who commit criminal assault
- levels of training should be provided to staff
- A zero-tolerance policy towards violence by clients
Training
• Awareness training to enable staff to understand the causes of violence relevant to their workplace and the general measures in place to reduce risks, such as incident reporting procedures and security controls.
• Development of emergency procedures, including methods for raising an alarm and the subsequent emergency response.
- early recognition of agrression and violence signs
- Self-defence training
- Specific training on safe systems of work that minimise the risk of violence
- Use of cash-free systems such as cheques, credit cards or tokens to make robbery less likely at the counter.
(a) Give the meaning of ‘work-related stress’.
(b) Identify potential signs that a worker could be stressed.
(c) Outline control measures that could help manage work-related stress in an organization.
(a)
Uk
“the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demands placed on them at work”.
Euro
“people experience stress when they perceive
that there is an imbalance between the demands made of them and the resources they have available to cope with those demands”.
(b)
- take more time off
- arrive for work later
- be more twitchy or nervous
- mood swings
- being withdrawn
- loss of motivation, commitment and confidence
- increased emotional reactions – being more tearful, –sensitive or aggressive
- decreased performance
- higher staff turnover
(c)
Demand:
•The organization 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.
• Employees’ concerns about their work environment
are addressed.
Control:
• Where possible, employees have control over their pace of work, eg have a say over when breaks can be taken.
• Employees are encouraged to use their skills and
initiative to do their work.
• Where possible, employees are encouraged to
develop new skills to help them undertake new and
challenging pieces of work.
• The organization encourages employees to develop
their skills.
• Employees are consulted over their work patterns.
Support:
• The organization has policies and procedures to
adequately support employees.
• Systems are in place to enable and encourage
managers to support their staff.
• Systems are in place to enable and encourage
employees to support their colleagues.
• Employees know what support is available and how
and when to access it.
• Employees know how to access the required
resources to do their job.
• Employees receive regular and constructive feedback.
Relationship:
• The organisation promotes positive behaviours at
work to avoid conflict and ensure fairness.
• Employees share information relevant to their work.
The organisation has agreed on policies and
procedures to prevent or resolve unacceptable
behaviour.
• Systems are in place to enable and encourage
managers to deal with unacceptable behaviour.
• Systems are in place to enable and encourage
employees to report unacceptable behaviour.
Role:
• The organisation ensures that, as far as possible,
the different requirements it places upon employees
are compatible.
• The organisation provides information to enable
employees to understand their role and responsibilities.
• The organisation ensures that, as far as possible, the
requirements it places upon employees are clear.
• Systems are in place to enable employees to raise
concerns about any uncertainties or conflicts they
have in their role and responsibilities.
Change:
• The organisation provides employees with timely information to enable them to understand the reasons for proposed changes.
• The organisation ensures adequate employee consultation on changes and provides opportunities
for employees to influence proposals.
- Employees are aware of the probable impact of any changes to their jobs. If necessary, employees are given training to support any changes in their jobs.
- Employees are aware of timetables for changes.
- Employees have access to relevant support during changes.
Managers are concerned at the increase in stress-related absence.
(a) Identify a range of information sources that can be used to assess the levels of stress experienced by their workers.
(b) Outline organizational and personal factors that can contribute to the incidence of work-related stress.
(a)
• sickness or absence data;
• health surveillance data;
• the information available from performance appraisals, records of return to work interviews;
• discussions at safety committee meetings and team briefings;
• reports following the investigation of accidents;
• records of complaints;
• the rate of staff turnover as well as the information provided at exit interviews;
• information from informal discussions with workers or with members of management who have been trained in assessing the risk or presence of stress;
• information gained from specific surveys and questionnaires
• finally information available in external guidance and standards (such as the
stress management standards).
(b)
Organizational factors :
• Organizational change with the resultant uncertainty and threat of redundancy
• Work overload or conversely under-load
• Unrealistic deadlines or targets which often
demand an unreasonable pace to complete the work
• long work hours and/or difficult shift patterns resulting in a poor standard of work-life balance
• A lack of consultation with workers on work planning
• Uncertainty over the role or objectives of the job often caused by a lack of training
• The absence of a system for raising concerns and
grievances and even when one is in existence, a failure to address the issues that are
raised
• Poor working relationships with managers or colleagues and the presence of bullying, harassment, violence and aggression
• poor working environment, often causing a feeling of isolation from colleagues, whether physical or psychological
• The inevitable personal factors such as bereavement, divorce, child care issues, and caring responsibilities.
(a) Identify signs that would indicate a worker may be suffering from mental ill-health.
Evidence recently published indicates that male construction workers are three times more likely to commit suicide than an average working male.
(b) Outline what might contribute to increased mental ill-health issues in construction workers.
(c) Outline actions a construction company could take to actively improve the mental health and well-being of their construction workers.
(a)
changes in personality, use of drugs/alcohol, being withdrawn from colleagues, or avoiding interaction. An unwillingness to communicate and increased
anxiety or lack of concentration. Increased absenteeism or tardiness, Outbursts, and mood swings. Changes in work habits low performance.
Limiting progression; Such as a lack of drive to learn, develop
(b)
• long and unpredictable working hours such as concrete casting workers won’t be able to leave till they finish casting all the mixed concrete
• Working away from the home remote construction site.
• Heavy workloads - the requirement to
meet tight project deadlines.
- Long working hours - tiredness.
- Fear - of redundancy.
• Lack of job security – fear completing
jobs too quickly or not quickly enough.
• High-risk activities – an lead to injury
and disease.
- hazardous working environments.
- The itinerant nature of the work may make it harder to create good working relationships and the uncertainty regarding employment and income
- Long travel times – impact on family time & tiredness.
(c)
- Involving staff in the review of working hours and shift systems.
- Considering flexible working and changes to start and finish times.
- Developing a system to notify employees of unplanned tight deadlines and the need to work long hours.
- Holding team meetings and individual meetings to discuss anticipated workload and challenges
- mental health awareness campaigns, appointing mental health champions, having
- appropriate policies and procedures in place and addressing the work-life balance.
- Reactive actions include supporting those suffering from mental ill-health to stay in work and providing access to counseling.
- To reduce stigma, raise awareness, change attitudes and provide knowledge to empower employees to look after their mental health and wellbeing.
(a) Give the meaning of the term ‘work-related violence’.
(b) Outline practical measures to help reduce violence towards a nurse who visits patients in their homes.
(a) “Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened, or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.”
(b)
• Informing colleagues of the location and time of visits with appointments being made for the hours of daylight and leaving a written record in the office with the anticipated time of return.
- Checking out the history of the patient prior to the visit for violent marker flags on the records and dependent on the level of risk, either visiting in pairs or requiring the patient to come to the hospital.
- Carrying a mobile phone, radio, or personal alarm and agreeing to a code word when calling for assistance;
- Attention must be paid to the clothing worn by employees, avoidance of loose clothing that is easy to grab and hold and use of clip-on ties. and refraining from wearing or carrying items of value;
- Planning the journey route to minimize risk and parking the vehicle in a way and in a location to facilitate a speedy exit if required; and
• Training employees to spot the early signs of violence and to ensure that confrontation is
avoided.
• Remote supervision of lone workers out in
the field.
Hospital nurses are at risk from work-related violence when they are required to visit patients in their own homes.
(a) Outline a strategy that the hospital management should have in place in order to manage work-related violence.
(b) Describe a range of practical measures that the nurses can put in place to
(a)
• The preparation of a written policy defining the term, stating the management’s zero-tolerance attitude to violence to their staff and indicating their support for legal action should this occur;
- The identification of groups particularly at risk;
- The provision of adequate resources to control and minimize the risks associated with wrv;
• The introduction of procedures for reporting, recording, and investigating incidents of
violence;
- The identification of personnel with particular responsibilities for managing wrv such as carrying out the risk assessments, receiving reports of instances of violence, and monitoring compliance with control measures introduced as a result of the assessments made;
- The strategy should make sure responsibilities are outlined, identifying specific individuals and roles
• The provision of training to workers on how to deal with situations where violence might
occur and
• Introducing a mechanism to support those who have been the victims of wrv such as counseling and maintaining confidentiality.
(b)
• Informing colleagues of the location and time of visits with appointments being made for
the hours of daylight and leaving a written record in the office with the anticipated time of
return;
• Checking out the history of the patient prior to the visit for violent marker flags on the
records and dependent on the level of risk, either visiting in pairs or requiring the patient to
come to the hospital;
- Carrying a mobile phone, radio, or personal alarm and agreeing to a code word when calling for assistance;
- Wearing appropriate clothing and refraining from wearing or carrying items of value;
- Planning the journey route to minimize risk and parking the vehicle in a way and in a location to facilitate a speedy exit if required; and
• Training employees to spot the early signs of violence and to ensure that confrontation is
avoided.
