Management of stress a business-wide issue

By VICKI JAYNE

Feeling stressed? Okay. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and ... let it all go.

Feeling better? Well, probably not a lot. Managing workplace stress requires just a tad more application.

In the re-engineered, slimmed-down, performance-conscious corporate body, there is not much room to hide from co-worker tensions or managerial flaws.

It doesn't help that the electronic workplace can shoot increasingly copious screeds of information, data and irrelevant gibberish at you from more directions than ever before - and with expectations of immediate response.

Stress can also travel into the workplace along with rush-hour refugees who have had to dispense kids, spouse, and drycleaning en route. Perhaps time-out in an aromatherapeutic room with masseur and whale music would be wise before they are unleashed on innocent co-workers or customers.

Sound a bit soft? Not when you look at the bottom-line impact of ignoring workplace stress. Recent research shows that at least 40 per cent of employee turnover in the US is attributed to on-the-job stress. The same cause has apparently helped drain a yearly $200 billion to $300 billion from American industry via absenteeism, diminished productivity, accidents, medical fees, worker compensation awards and so on.

These information snippets can be found on the Mental Health Foundation website. They are the sober statistics behind a rather frivolous front-end campaign encouraging people to do Absolutely Nothing (you can even try this in your own boardroom) for 20 minutes a day.

The ads come courtesy of TVNZ's community support scheme and were used to highlight Mental Health Awareness week. Acknowledging that a light, mass-media-geared approach to focusing attention on mental health in the workplace is slightly risky, the foundation has underpinned it with specific business-centred initiatives. It has been working with three companies, ASB Bank, Fletcher Building, and Amcor Flexibles, on a mental health and well-being policy template.

It is a response to what foundation executive Alison Taylor describes as the big three hidden problems in the workplace: stress, anxiety and depression. Causes can include not only information overload and the need to find work-life balance, but uncertainty about job security, and negative office politics.

Leaving such problems to fester is very poor management practice. They can sometimes get so bad that physical violence results, says Dave Winsborough, who runs a Wellington-based business specialising in services aimed at taking the stress out of work environments. The company comprises clinical and organisational psychologists who provide counselling and remedial work, train managers how to recognise and minimise stress, and work with companies to create a health and wellness culture.

Winsborough believes more companies are starting to take a greater interest in understanding staff motivation and making the seemingly self-evident connection that happy, healthy staff are ultimately more productive. That, he says, has implications for the whole psychological contract between management and workers.

Instead of fitting workers into rigid job descriptions, some companies are taking the more flexible approach of adapting the job to individual workstyle. For instance, they might manage for agreed outputs rather than time-specified inputs - more worker choice in terms of hours worked, as long as they can achieve specified outcomes. An example from the more liberal end of that spectrum is a merchant bank employee who reportedly works for six months and spends the rest of the year surfing.

While few businesses can offer that much latitude, plenty can be done to identify and minimise workplace stressors - the hot spots in work process, structure or relationships.

It helps, suggests Winsborough, for managers to form good relations with staff, ensure they are involved with the work they do, have a measure of control over it, and have necessary support. Remedial work can include teaching people how to relax, creating a fun atmosphere, providing time-out rooms, gym memberships, opportunities to socialise, or perhaps plastic furniture that welcomes a good kicking, should anyone seriously need to let off steam.

Companies that have taken to heart the maxim that people are their most valuable resource are ahead of the game.

Amcor Flexibles is a good example. Recent work with the Mental Health Foundation to design a comprehensive workplace mental health policy sat very comfortably with its people-centred philosophy.

The Albany-based plastics manufacturer has an integrated quality, safety and environment project involving every staff member in how its plant operates and where improvements can be made.

It has introduced services such as an employee satisfaction survey, employee assistance programmes, ongoing training, and even on-site access to massage treatment.

As part of Amcor's focus on meeting world-class quality and hygiene standards, all risks are actively managed and the whole area of mental wellbeing is seen as presenting a high risk if not well managed.

Early intervention enables potentially stressful situations to be defused before they do any damage.

Next year, a national service aimed at maintaining the well workplace will start. Health Innovations has been set up under the Southern Cross Group umbrella and is already contracting with larger (100-plus employee) companies to provide remedial and maintenance services.