Acas helpline staff took more than 11,000 calls about stress at work last year and the new guidance will help organisations reduce stresses at work by advising on better job design and highlighting how managers can identify problems and deal with them sensitively.
Acas Senior Guidance Adviser, John Palmer, said: “The UK economy lost more than 11 million working days last year due to stress related absence so everybody benefits if managers know how to properly support stressed out staff.
“This new Acas guidance helps employers identify the physical signs in staff and the typical causes of work-related stress.
“Our own recent research found emails, in particular, can leave staff feeling overwhelmed if not managed effectively so designing effective systems for prioritising emails can relieve a lot of work pressures in that area.”
The guidance highlights five signs that managers should watch out for to help them spot stressed out staff:
- Changes in the person’s usual behaviour, mood or how they interact with colleagues;
- Changes in the standard of their work or focus on tasks;
- Appearing tired, anxious or withdrawn and reduced interest in tasks they previously enjoyed;
- Changes in appetite and/or increase in smoking and drinking alcohol; and
- An increase in sickness absences and/or turning up late to work.
The Acas guidance also explains how employers should approach staff who seem stressed, including:
- Have the initial conversation in a private space, where they will not be disturbed;
- Be patient and allow them as much time as they need to talk about it;
- Consider the causes of stress and how it relates to workplace relationships. It may be beneficial to involve Human Resources or a more senior manager and allow a work colleague or trade union representative to accompany them at any meetings.
The Acas workplace stress guidance is available at www.acas.org.uk/stress
