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What are the Management Standards for work-related stress?
The Management Standards define the characteristics, or culture, of an organisation where the risks from work-related stress are being effectively managed and controlled. They cover six key areas of work design that, if not properly managed, are associated with poor health and well-being, lower productivity and increased sickness absence. The HSE (Health & Safety Executive) Management Standards represent a set of conditions that, if present, reflect a high level of health well-being and organisational performance.In other words, the six Management Standards cover the primary sources of stress at work. These are:
Demands - this includes issues such as workload, work patterns and the work environment.Control - how much say the person has in the way they do their work.
Support - this includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.Relationships - this includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
Role - whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles.Change - how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation.
The Management Standards demonstrate good practice through a step by step risk assessment approach; allow assessment of the current situation using surveys and other techniques; promote active discussion and working in partnership with employees to help decide on practical improvements that can be made and help simplify risk assessment for work-related stress by:- identifying the main risk factors for work related stress;
- helping employers focus on the underlying causes and their prevention; and
- providing a yardstick by which organisations can gauge their performance in tackling the key causes of stress.