13.07.2020

Stress in the Workplace

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, anxiety levels in the workplace have undoubtedly increased, even for those currently working from home due to social distancing measures.

Helping individuals manage their mental health and offering them the guidance they need to come through this difficult period has become a priority for Public Health England, and workplaces are advised to keep their employees informed of the support available.

It’s in the interests of employers to mitigate stress in the workplace, starting with their duty of care towards the workforce, particularly given the current situation. Businesses who fail to act may face a slew of workplace personal injury claims, while their workers will be less productive.

Impact on Mental Health

Key triggers identified for work-related stress include workload pressures, workplace interpersonal relationships and changes at work. Given the current economic disruption, job insecurity and social distancing, these factors are likely to be amplified.

Whilst many businesses are struggling with loss of trade and furloughed staff, many others are under enormous pressure to rapidly increase the volume of their services, food production, supply chain logistics, etc., whilst coping with a large influx of new, untrained workers.

Under these circumstances, it can be tempting to ignore the stress issue and concentrate on core activities, but the impact on the workforce can be so severe that businesses should consider some relatively simple steps.

Risk Assessment

Undertake a ‘Stress Risk Assessment’, which will achieve two things:

· it will enable businesses to focus clearly on the newly emerging drivers of stress;

· it will demonstrate the steps the business took to minimise their impact.

Given the unprecedented scale of upheaval, any existing risk assessment is not likely to be fit for purpose, so performing a new assessment will demonstrate a responsive and flexible attitude toward protecting the workforce.

A new risk assessment should seek to address potential problems such as whether the workforce has adequate space to work, whether they have any concerns arising out of lone-working or whether there are any potential new risks caused by working from home.

By identifying the causes of stress and trying to deal with them, a business can demonstrate at any later date, that it took reasonable steps and fulfilled its duty of care.

Company Policies

Businesses may implement the following policies: Coronavirus Policy, Flexible Working Policy and a Homeworking Policy. Not only will this protect the business by implementing procedural changes and providing guidance for the workforce but will also provide a level of comfort to the workforce who will recognise the business is responding sensibly and proactively to the crisis.

Communication

Businesses should ensure the lines of communication between the workforce, line managers, the HR team and health and safety managers are open and accessible. NHS guidance suggests that connecting with people is a key factor to addressing stress whilst working from home.

Businesses are urged to keep in contact with the workforce by making regular telephone calls, conference calls and scheduling team meetings to ensure everyone can adjust to working from home.

Dedicating a member of the HR team to different sectors of the business can help by providing employees a direct point of contact should they want to discuss work-related stress.

By Tina Chander, a partner and head of the Employment team at leading Midlands law firm, Wright Hassall which deals with contentious and non-contentious employment law issues.

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