Work Related Stress Responsible For Sucides

Work related stress could be responsible for as many as 250 suicides each year, more than the total number of fatal accidents at work recorded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

These alarming figures are highlighted by the trade union Hazards magazine in a recently published report called Crying Shame. They are based upon statistics in Japan where an estimated 5% of suicides are considered work related.

In their report, Hazards magazine refers to the case of three teachers, all of whom found the pressure of their jobs too much. They also point out that figures released by the HSE in November 2007, showed a sharp upturn in cases of work-related “stress, depression or anxiety,” with the total affected up to 530,000 in 2006/07 from 420,000 the previous year.

In a related matter, the House of Laws recently ruled in the case of Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd. It found the employer liable for Mr Corr’s suicide where it directly resulted from foreseeable depression caused by an accident at work (House of Lords on 27.2.08).

ACM Members’ Excessive Working Hours

ACM members regularly work excessive hours in order to fulfill their management duties; yet colleges appear unmoved by what is clearly a widespread disregard of the Working Time Regulations. These are some of the findings, just published by ACM, taken from results of their survey of members’ working time.

The 2007 Survey, which was undertaken last term, found that two out of three ACM members are working in excess of the average 48 hour week limit set by the Working Time Regulations, but only 4% have signed a working time opt-out that allows them to do so. This suggests colleges are ignoring safe limits on working hours in order to ensure targets are met.

In addition, 90% of ACM members have so much work that they regularly take some home, while 81% describe the demands of their job as high. And as we have already reported on this blog, an alarming one in eight members has been diagnosed by a GP as suffering from work related stress in the 12 months before the survey was undertaken.

Indeed, exposure to factors that can cause stress is high. One in four members described their role at their college as not clearly defined, and a further quarter described their role as conflicting. Two thirds of members also said they had experienced substantial change in the last 12 months.

Sadly, the 2007 survey results are almost identical to those of the previous survey carried out in March 2004. The implication is that moves to improve work life balance in the UK have simply by-passed the Further Education sector.

ACM Head of Employment Relations David Green said, “These figures ought to be shocking, but sadly they come as no surprise. They do underline though, just how much pressure is placed upon college managers. Indeed, add in the fact that colleges restructure regularly and it is hardly surprising that stress is such a big problem.

“Unfortunately colleges are reluctant to tackle the problem. They have LSC targets to reach; and the effect on their staffs’ work life balance and even health simply isn’t a big enough priority.”

ACM has been pressing the Association of Colleges to negotiate national guidelines on reducing working time.

One in Eight College Managers Suffers Stress

A massive one in eight ACM members has been diagnosed by a doctor as suffering from work related stress in the last year. These alarming figures come from ACM’s survey of working time and related issues, carried out towards the end of 2007.

The survey also found that nearly two thirds of members worked in excess of 48 hours per week, and that one in six works over 60 hours per week. But despite these excessive hours, 95% of members have never opted out of the Working Time Regulations which limits maximum hours to an average of 48 per week.

Not surprisingly, four out of five members said high demands were placed on them in terms of workload and targets.

But potential sources of work related stress aren’t just confined to the demands of the job. Two thirds of ACM members said they had experienced substantial change in the last year, and a third reported a low level of support from their line manager or in terms of resources. In addition, one in four members described the clarity of their role in the college as conflicting.

Commenting on the figures, ACM Head of Employment Relations said, “These survey results should ring alarm bells in our FE colleges. They show clearly that ACM members work in a very stressful environment; and that there is a real risk their jobs will make them sick unless colleges take preventative action.

“Sadly the culture in most colleges means that tackling stress is not seen as essential. If the going gets tough you are too often expected to struggle through or leave.”

ACM will be using the survey results to highlight the need for proper implementation of the HSE management standards and other measures to prevent stress. The findings will be reported to FESH, the sector’ safety and health forum, who have already begun work on preventing stress. ACM will also be using the survey results to back our calls for national negotiations on joint guidance to reduce working time in the sector.

In the meantime, ACM branches will be urged to ensure working time and stress is moved up the safety agenda. David Green added, “At the end of the day, positive change will only come about with consistent union pressure. If managers are worried about their health or the excessive hours they are working they should join us now and strengthen our voice on this important issue.”

Revised HSE Guidance on Preventing Stress

The revised HSE guidance ‘Managing the causes of work-related stress - A step by step approach using the Management Standards’ (HSG218), is now available from HSE books price £10.99. For more information please see the HSE website.

Stressed Workers Heart Disease Risk

Researchers have confirmed that a stressful job can greatly increase your chance of having a heart attack. In a study of civil servants, those under 50 who said their work was stressful were nearly 70% more likely to develop heart disease than the stress-free.

A more detailed article about this study can be found at the BBC News Website.

New Guidance on Tackling Stress

The Health and Safety Executive has published new guidance on managing work related stress.

Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health, poor productivity and human error. That means increased sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance in organisations and a possible increase in accidents due to human error.

Based on the Management Standards, this new guide aims to help employers, employees and their representatives manage the issue sensibly and minimise the impact of work-related stress.

Priced at £10.95, it is available from HSE books.

Doctor’s Certificate Was Evidence of Sickness

Employers who ignore medical evidence have received a warning following a recent case at the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT).

In Taylor v Merseyrail Electrics 2002 Ltd UKEAT 0162/07, the employer had a discretionary clause in its sick pay scheme allowing for sick pay to be withheld if there were doubts whether an illness was genuine.

Although Ms. Taylor had a GP’s note certifying her absence as being due to stress, the employer believed otherwise and withheld her sick pay.

However, the EAT upheld Ms. Taylor’s claim of an unlawful deduction from wages because the employer ignored the medical certificate, and had not undertaken any medical investigation of its own that might have put in doubt the opinion of the GP. His Honour Judge Peter Clark said, “It was not open, once that medical certificate had come in, for the Respondent to maintain any doubt as to the reason for absence in the absence of any contradictory medical evidence.”

Forty Percent Have No Stress Policy

Almost 40% of colleges don’t have a policy for preventing work-related stress according to a recent survey of ACM branches. What’s worse, when asked what happens when a risk assessment reveals high levels of stress, the top response was “nothing” (20%)!

The results, which were reported recently to the Further Education Safety and Health Forum (FESH), may surprise or even alarm some members. However, in another survey we carried out back in 2004, we found that one in seven members had been diagnosed by a doctor within the previous 12 months as suffering from work related stress.

So evidence that a problem exists is undeniable. Indeed, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has already identified education as one of the worst offenders, accounting for 13% of all the incidence of work related stress in this country. So what is being done?

The HSE has been working hard to raise awareness of its stress management standards, and has been running a series of workshops for colleges and others in the education sector. These are being followed up by a number of regional one day master-classes focusing on specific aspects of the management standards process. In addition, the HSE has set up a management standards Helpline (0845 345 5678), and from April this year, HSE inspectors are targeting various educational institutions including colleges.

Stress has also been identified as a priority for FESH, and a strategic workplan is being developed to take the matter forward. One particular aspect that ACM will be raising is the need to ensure that college principals are fully on-board. Whether we use carrot, stick or both remains to be seen, but unless we have active support from the top, then many colleges will just pay lip-service to tackling stress.

In the meantime, ACM branches are being urged to press colleges on their stress policies (or lack of) and ensure that active preventative measures are put into place.

Employers Warned On Stress

Employers are being warned to watch for early signs of mental health problems in the workforce if they want to avoid cases of long-term sickness absence.

New Directions in Managing Employee Absence, a research report by the CIPD and Active Health Partners, has revealed that employees suffering mental health problems such as stress, depression and anxiety go off work for an average of 21 working days.

The research, which studied the absence records of 30,000 employees in 40 organisations, has also found that women, older workers and those in the public sector are more likely to take longer periods of sick leave.

“This study shows how important it is for managers and HR practitioners to be aware of the signs of mental ill-health so that they can act early and provide support before the individual’s condition deteriorates to the point where they go off on long-term sick leave,” said Ben Willmott, CIPD adviser, employee relations.

One public sector employer seeking to reduce work related stress is the Metropolitan Police Service. Dr Eileen Cahill-Canning, their chief medical officer said: “It’s not the intrinsic facets of the job that are the most stressful – for instance, being involved in front-line policing. It’s more universal factors such as how well you are managed and how much control you have over your job. We give our line managers stress toolkits when they enter our leadership academy, and 65 per cent of them say they have changed for the better as a result.”

Stress Still Big Problem

Work related stress continues to be a big problem for members. Only this week we referred another serious case to our solicitors.

On a related note, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a newsletter about its ongoing campaign to tackle stress in the education sector. It covers progress on implementing the management standards for work related stress and looks at activities planned for 2007-2008. A copy of the newsletter can be sent to members on request if they contact the ACM helpline.

IOSH Calls For Action On Stress

Following the publication this week of a study revealing that depression and stress together are the second largest cause of people taking time off sick, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) calls for a major government and employer initiative to help tackle workplace stress.

The report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), based on research of 30,000 workers, showed that people suffering from depression took an average 30 days a year off, while stress victims were away for 21 days.

Lisa Fowlie, the President of IOSH, said that too many employers still did not understand the benefits they can gain from preventing workplace stress, and the price that their staff pay if they fail to do so: “Minor adjustments are often enough. Ensuring staff have a sympathetic ear, allowing more flexible working hours and adopting family friendly policies helps everyone, especially parents and those with care responsibilities.”

IOSH point out the benefits for organisations which tackle stress, including:

• reduced sickness absence costs
• improved staff performance and productivity
• reduced staff turnover
• increased customer satisfaction
• enhanced organisation reputation.

IOSH is also calling for a major government occupational health initiative to help tackle stress and other workplace health issues. Latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that 12.8 million working days were lost to stress in one year. Work-related stress accounts for one third of all new cases of occupational ill-health.

Lisa added: “Simple initiatives such as tax incentives for employers to offer proven therapies, will help rehabilitate people back into the workplace, improving their quality of life, as well as boosting the economy.”

Work Related Stress Rate Remains High

Figures just published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on work-related stress show that education remains one of the worst affected sectors. Indeed, the prevalance of stress, depression or anxiety caused by work is only higher in the finance sector and in public administration.

Overall, work-related stress is the second most common cause of occupational ill-health after bone, joint and muscle problems. The HSE figures, which are based on 2005-2006, show an estimated 286,000 new cases of work-related stress across all sectors, with some 37,000 coming from education.

ACM’s employment relations leaflet on work-related stress, together with a model college policy for tackling stress, is available to members who contact the ACM Helpline. Further posts on this subject can be found in the health and safety category of this blog.