Stress Management

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines stress as the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them.

In most work situations, some pressure is healthy.  Stress occurs when a person experiences too much pressure, and the effect of the pressure becomes negative.

The HSE sets stress management standards which focus on 6 main areas of work design which can affect individual stress levels:

Demands

• Control
• Support
• Relationships
• Role
• Change

The HSE website [www.hse.gov.uk] has a full description of the Management Standards and typical behaviours that can be a sign of stress.

We view stress management as both a Human Resources and a Health and Safety issue.  Our integrated resources for addressing stress management reflect this.