Avoidance and Management of Work Related Stress: Guidance for Managers (стр. 4 )

Signature of Manager: ………………………………………………………

Date of review meeting: ………………………………………………………

The written assessment should be stored as a confidential document with the employee record.

Appendix B Stress Management: Team Risk Assessment – Confidential

To be used in accordance with the University’s commitment to address stress-related issues. In completing this risk assessment, reference should be made to ‘Avoidance and Management of Work Related Stress: Guidance for Managers’

Faculty / Department:	Section:	Line Manager:
No of people in team:	Date of Assessment:	Assessor:

Factor	Areas to Explore	Yes/ No	Areas for concern / risks identified	What action is already being taken?	If required further action and review date
Culture	Team meetings take place (minimum 3 monthly) Monthly one to one with line manager Team involved in the planning, implementation and changing of work tasks All team members kept informed of University policies and procedures e. g. flexible working, dignity at work etc. Do the team work defined hours? Excessive and out of hours work monitored and controlled by line manager? Is home working monitored by line manager? (home DSE assessment completed?) Is there a system for recognising and resolving work problems? Are the team members supported emotionally and practically?
Factor	Areas to Explore	Yes/ No	Areas for concern / risks identified	What action is already being taken?	Further action/ review date
Demands	Are all team members adequately trained for all aspects of their job role? Are training and development needs regularly reviewed and reflect changes in work tasks and demands? Are all team members capable of undertaking the work expected of them? Do team members have adequate time to do their work? Do all team members have adequate rest breaks at work and between working days? Do members of the team have to work long hours? If yes, is this on a regular basis? Is work volume monitored? Do the team have an opportunity to feed back work concerns on a regular basis? Do different departments / faculties demand things from the team which are difficult to combine with everyday work or conflicts with existing priorities?
Factor	Areas to Explore	Yes/ No	Areas for concern / risks identified	What action is already being taken?	Further action/ review date
Control	Are all team members given the opportunity to say how their work should be carried out? Can all team members plan their own workload? Are all team members able to utilise their skills? Are all members able to work as a team and utilise the team’s skills as required? Can all team members decide when to take breaks? Can all team members decide on the speed of work?
Relationships	Are all team members aware of the University policies related to violence at work, diversity, dignity at work, grievance etc. and how they are implemented in the workplace? Are all team members aware of what to do if they are subjected to verbal of physical violence, bullying or harassment at work? Is there a culture of mutual trust and support within the team? Are relationships at work good? If no - Does the poor working relationship affect the team only or is it related to other teams or departments? Is there friction or anger between team members? Is there friction or anger between different teams?
Factor	Areas to Explore	Yes/ No	Areas for concern / risks identified	What action is already being taken?	Further action/ review date
Change	In the case of change, is the need for change and the timescales communicated to all team members? Are members of the team consulted about the need for change? Are they able to influence the outcome? Are training and development needs created by the change identified and met? Are all team members able to seek additional information about change as they require it? If new roles have been created, are they clearly defined with no conflict or ambiguity?
Role	All new team members receive a comprehensive and suitable induction programme? Are all roles within the team clearly defined so that all members know what their responsibilities are? Are there any roles which could be conflicting within the work task or the team? Can team members feed back and seek clarification to the manager if uncertain about role? Do all team members understand what is required of them? Are all team members aware of the reason for the tasks they undertake and how their work tasks fit into the overall University initiatives?
Factor	Areas to Explore	Yes/ No	Areas for concern / risks identified	What action is already being taken?	Further action/ review date
Support, training and individual factors	Is support, guidance and encouragement provided to team members even when things go wrong? Can team members rely on their line manager to help them with a work problem? Are the team members able to contact their line manager easily if they have a problem either work related or personal? Is induction to new job roles undertaken? Is suitable and sufficient training provided to enable team members to do their jobs? Are individual team members different skills and competencies considered when deciding how work should be undertaken by the team? Is constructive feedback given to team members after undertaking work tasks? Are team members aware of the University initiatives for managing pressure and preventing stress? Are team members aware of the employee assistance programme available through LHF? Are team members encouraged to maintain a healthy work – life balance, including taking rest breaks, annual leave entitlement etc.? Do all team members have a return to work discussion with their line manager on return from each spell of absence? Is sickness absence monitored & are team members referred to HR / OH as required?

Appendix C : Management Competencies (HSE Line Management Behaviour & Stress)

Competency	Sub-Competency	Do Don’t X	Examples of Manager Behaviour
Respectful and Responsible; Managing emotions and having integrity	Integrity		·  Is a good role Model ·  Treats team members with respect ·  Is honest
X	·  Says one thing, then does something different ·  Speaks about team members behind their backs
Managing emotions		·  Acts calmly in pressured situations ·  Takes a consistent approach to managing
X	·  Is unpredictable in mood ·  Passes on stress to employees ·  Panics about deadlines ·  Takes suggestions for improvement as a personal criticism
Considerate approach	X	·  Makes short term demands rather than allowing planning ·  Creates unrealistic deadlines ·  Gives more negative than positive feedback ·  Relies on others to deal with problems ·  Imposes ‘ my way is the only way’ ·  Shows lack of consideration for work-life balance

Competency	Sub-Competency	Do Don’t X	Examples of Manager Behaviour
Managing and communicating future work	Proactive work management		·  Clearly communicates employee job objectives ·  Develops action plans ·  Monitors team workload on an ongoing basis ·  Encourages team to review how they organise work ·  Stops additional work being taken on when necessary ·  Works proactively ·  Sees projects / tasks through to delivery ·  Reviews processes to identify improvements ·  Prioritises future workloads
Problem solving		·  Deals rationally with problems ·  Follows up problems on teams behalf ·  Deals with problems as soon as they arise
X	·  Is indecisive
Participative / empowering		·  Gives employees the right level of responsibility ·  Correctly judges when to consult and when to make a decision ·  Keeps employees informed of what is happening ·  Acts as a mentor ·  Delegates work equally ·  Helps team members develop their role ·  Encourages team participation ·  Provides regular team meetings
X	·  Gives too little direction to employees
Competency	Sub-Competency	Do Don’t X	Examples of Manager Behaviour
Reasoning / managing difficult situations	Managing Conflict		·  Acts as a mediator in conflict situations ·  Deals with squabbles before they become arguments ·  Deals objectively with conflicts ·  Deals with conflicts head on
X	·  Acts to keep the peace rather than resolves issues
Use of organisational resources		·  Seeks advice from other managers when necessary ·  Uses HR as a resource to help deal with problems ·  Seeks help from occupational health when necessary
Taking responsibility for resolving issues		·  Follows up conflicts after resolution ·  Supports employees through incidents of abuse ·  Makes it clear they will take ultimate responsibility if things go wrong
X	·  Doesn’t address bullying

Competency	Sub-Competency	Do Don’t X	Examples of Manager Behaviour
Managing the individual within the team	Personally accessible		·  Speaks personally rather than uses email ·  Provides regular opportunities to speak one to one ·  Returns calls / emails promptly ·  Is available to talk when needed
Sociable		·  Brings I treats ·  Socialises with the team ·  Is willing to have a laugh at work
Empathetic engagement		·  Encourages employee input into discussions ·  Listens when employees ask for help ·  Makes an effort to find out what motivates employees at work ·  Tries to see team members point of view ·  Takes an interest in teams life outside work ·  Regularly asks ‘how are you?’ ·  Treats all team members with equal importance
X	·  Assumes rather than checks that employees are okay

HSE 2008

[1] A team in this context means a group of individuals with the same manager for workload allocation and common working conditions.