Employers advised to prevent and manage stress at work

Employers have been advised it is in their interests to prevent and manage stress at work, as a new guide is launched highlighting the potential legal risks they face if they ignore their responsibilities in this area.

The guide, produced by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), with support from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Acas and the cross-government Health, Work and Wellbeing programme, spells out employers’ legal obligations in identifying and preventing stress at work.

The guide, “Work-related stress: what the law says”, which was written by John Hamilton, head of safety, health and wellbeing at Leeds Metropolitan University, also highlights recent cases where employers have faced significant compensation payouts for failing to identify and prevent stress adequately. In addition it provides advice on how employers can tackle stress through good people management.

Dame Carol Black, national director for health and work, commented: “It is in employers’ interests to manage stress at work proactively and not just assume all staff are coping, particularly in a tough economic environment where many employees are under pressure to do more with less.”

The CIPD’s quarterly July 2010 “Employee Outlook” survey showed almost half (49%) of staff have noticed an increase in stress at work as a result of the economic downturn.

Ben Willmott, senior public policy adviser, CIPD, said stress at work can have a significant impact on business performance. “Employers that fail to manage stress effectively risk losing key staff through high absence levels and employee turnover. They will also suffer from low staff morale and risk higher levels of conflict and accidents in the workplace. In addition, they potentially face costly personal injury claims, as well as damage to their employer brand.”

Peter Brown, head of work environment, radiation and gas policy, HSE, added: “A certain level of pressure at work helps to motivate people and can boost energy and productivity levels. But, when the pressure individuals are under exceeds their ability to cope, it becomes a negative rather than a positive force.

“This guide summarises the legislation relevant to work-related stress and provides some tips for employers on the steps they can take to manage stress and support employee wellbeing.”

Jane Bird, director of operational policy and performance, Acas, said: “Managing employee health and wellbeing is important for maintaining a productive workforce. Effective line management is key to preventing stress where possible and managing it when it does occur. If managers create and maintain effective, two-way communication, they are more likely to notice when someone is struggling and intervene.”

You may download the guide, “Work-related stress: what the law says” from this link: http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1B504994-F40F-4801-B93D-8FA4DE73E1FD/0/5233Stress_and_Law_guide.pdf

She said scale of yob behaviour was damning indictment of Labour failure

Home Secretary Theresa May has said police retreating from the streets as more than 26 incidents of anti-social behaviour take place every minute is a "damning indictment" of Labour's failure to get to grips with the issue.

Mrs May spoke out after the chief inspector of constabulary said one such incident was reported to police every 10 seconds, but tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) was often not seen as "real police work" and "does not have the same status as 'crime' for the police".

Sir Denis O'Connor said that by "retreating from the streets" since the 1970s, the police "undermined their connection with the public and allowed some of these things to gather momentum", he said.

"It was a mistake, a strategic error as they might say in military terms."

Mrs May, who signalled the end of the anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) and more emphasis on community involvement earlier this year, told Sky News: "This report is a damning indictment of Labour's failure to get to grips with anti-social behaviour.

"They spent record amounts of money but achieved nothing," she said.

"What we have seen over the past years is a Labour government talking about dealing with anti-social behaviour, spending a lot of money on it, but actually failing to get to grips with it.

"And we didn't see police out on the streets. Sir Denis's report makes clear that too much money has been spent on people sitting behind desks in meetings and not actually out there on the streets, doing the job that people want them to do be doing - which is dealing with anti-social behaviour alongside dealing with other sorts of crime."

Mrs May said plans for elected police and crime commissioners "will put communities at the heart of the solution", but the report cast doubt upon the future willingness of individuals to confront anti-social behaviour.

A poll showed 32% of those who confronted such behaviour experienced intimidation afterwards, with the figure rising to 61% in deprived areas.

By The Press Association

RELATED ARTICLE
26 yob crimes happen 'every minute'

Chief inspector of constabulary O'Connor says tackling anti-social behaviour often not seen as 'real police work'

More than 26 incidents of anti-social behaviour take place every minute, the chief inspector of constabulary has said.

Sir Denis O'Connor said tackling anti-social behaviour is often not seen as "real police work" and "does not have the same status as 'crime' for the police".

Police officers "retreating from the streets" since the 1970s have "undermined their connection with the public, and allowed some of these things to gather momentum", he said.

But forces across the country need to recognise that in nine out of 10 cases, police are the first authority the public turn to when suffering anti-social behaviour and a new approach is needed "to restore civility to public spaces", he said. "The public do not distinguish between anti-social behaviour and crime. For them, it's just a sliding scale of grief."

Only a quarter of the incidents of anti-social behaviour, about 3.5 million, were reported and communities are "becoming used to things we should not have become used to", he said.

Speaking at a briefing at Beormund Community Centre in Bermondsey, south east London, Sir Denis said: "Some people don't think this is real policing. They have, in their own head, reinvented policing, which is policing that focuses around certain things that happen to be categorised in a piece of legislation somewhere as crime. This kind of area matters but it doesn't count very much in the current system, not in the way that crime does. We can do better than this."

Sir Denis said he was concerned that spending cuts could further reduce frontline police manpower.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Over time, this has been cut back. The first thing that's gone is the front end on the streets and I think it's been a big error. I don't think this (anti-social) behaviour is going to reduce because we are going through an austerity period. I'm concerned that the police availability, which is already low, if it is reduced further, I do not see much hope for people. As far as the police officers are concerned, it's not just about presence, it's the presence of control. We have to reclaim some neighbourhoods."

He questioned the past focus on statistics and the millions spent on local partnerships to little visible effect. Mr McKeever told the programme: "This is very much a commonsense report. He's put in black and white what we have been saying for some time."

He said police were bringing those responsible for anti-social behaviour into contact with the criminal justice system but tough sanctions were not being imposed.

By The Press Association

The beautiful Argentinean showgirl, model, and television personality Belén Rodríguez, who was once an irregular immigrant in Italy, was regularised as a housekeeper (colf), her former agent Lele Mora has said.

Miss Rodríguez has all that is required to be a successful showgirl, Mr. Mora told Top magazine. She knows how to dance, move, is perfect on stage, is beautiful and sensual, he added.

Mr. Mora, who spotted Miss Rodríguez’s talents, said he decided to regularise her after she arrived in the country without the Permit of Stay. He said that he hired her as a housekeeper but was well aware she had other justified ambitions and decided to help her because he believed in her.

Miss Rodríguez has not yet reacted to Mr. Mora’s remarks.

In the past Miss Rodríguez admitted that she was an irregular immigrant and said she lost many job opportunities because she didn’t have the permit. She said that she was 19 when she arrived in Italy and only obtained the permit when she was 23.