Headlines: July 12th, 2012

A stress management tool has been launched to reduce workplace stress, much of which is caused by poor management.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Health and Safety Executive have developed a free stress management tool which is designed to help equip managers with the skills to manage positively and prevent stress in their staff.

CIPD research identified stress as the number one cause of long-term sickness absence and poor management is one of the top causes of work-related stress.

The tool, available on the CIPD/AXA PPP Employee health and wellbeing website, is designed to hold up a mirror to managers so they understand how their behaviour impacts on the people they manage. It provides on-line learning materials to help them improve their management style.

Ben Willmott, CIPD Head of Public Policy, commented: “It is in employers’ interests to ensure managers have the necessary people management skills to manage and prevent stress. Stress is a major cause of sickness absence and lost productivity and is linked to a higher risk of accidents at work. Prolonged exposure to stress is also linked to conditions such as depression, anxiety and an increased risk of heart disease.”

He added:”Managers can either cause or exacerbate stress or help prevent and manage it. This tool enables managers to understand how their management style impacts on others and can help them change their behaviour over time.”

Peter Brown, Head of the HSE Stress Team added: “This tool is designed to help people become better managers that manage stress rather than add to it. Poor management can cause stress for both staff and the manager; relieving that stress makes work a more positive place and delivers benefits for both staff and employers.”