Managing Workplace Stress

The facts of workplace stress are terrifying for businesses: in the average organisation ten percent of employees report very low levels of satisfaction with their jobs and three percent of turnover may be lost. Yet while stress may be endemic to business, it is not inevitable. Breaking through barriers of ignorance to promote happy and productive workforces, Steve Williams and Lesley Cooper provide a framework for building appropriate interventions along with a proactive template for dealing with stress before issues come to a head. Full of examples and workable solutions, this internationally-oriented book offers a wealth of sound advice and an essential stress debrief. Series Foreword by Digby Jones.

About the Authors.

Introduction.

What is Stress?

How to Recognise Workplace Stress.

The Cost of Stress.

What Effect Does Stress Have on Performance and Productivity?

Quantifying the Stress Problem.

Gaining a Deeper Understanding - Stress Surveys.

Running a Stress Survey.

Interpreting the Information.

What Do I Do About the Issues?

Levels of Intervention.

Summary.

Glossary.

Appendix.

"A good refresher to acknowledge and recognize the need to constantly address and evaluate this issue on a continuous basis." (Accident and Emergency Nursing, Vol.11, No.58, 2003)

Dr Stephen Williams, Resource Systems, Harrogate, UK.

Lesley Cooper, Working Well, London, UK.

The facts of workplace stress can be terrifying for businesses large and small: it's likely that 10% of your workforce report very low levels of satisfaction with both their jobs and the organisation. 20% of your staff will report they have suffered some major life event in the past 3 months and approximately 3% will report levels of mental ill health that are worse than those of psychiatric outpatients receiving clinical treatment for anxiety and depression. 3% of annual turnover may be lost, and this is just the direct costs.

Stress may be widespread through the workforce but it isn't inevitable. The purpose of this book is twofold. To break down the ignorance barrier and then to put forward workable solutions for managing stress at work.

The authors provide an effective framework on which to build appropriate interventions. But this book does not put forward merely reactive measures. It also gives a proactive template for dealing with stress before issues come to a head, helping provide you with a happy, healthy, determined workforce ready to take on the challenges of the modern business environment.

The internationally applicable approach of this book provides an essential stress debrief for line managers and senior executives, as well as stress and workplace healthcare professionals and consultants.