AUT: workstress (fwd)

[MichaelP <papadop@xxxxxxxx> (by way of pmargin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Steve Wright))]

SUNDAY INDEPENDENT (London) June 13

Bosses under fire over stress at work

By Rachel Sylvester

Bullying bosses, unrealistic deadlines and excessive working hours will be
outlawed under a new, legally binding code being planned by ministers.
They are convinced that workplace stress is fast becoming a major health
problem.

Whitehall sources accept that the move will almost certainly lead to a
spate of legal claims against companies and will "upset'' many employers.
But they are convinced that tough action is essential. The Health and
Safety Executive has already written a draft code, warning that stress can
be "far more damaging" to people in the long term than physical illness.

Companies could be forced to shorten the hours worked by their staff, take
on more people to relieve existing workers or improve workplace conditions
in order to fulfil their duty to reduce stress levels. A series of public
meetings is planned next month to assess the scale of the problem and draw
up proposals for tackling it.

The move follows a government-backed study which found that almost a
quarter of workers claims to suffer "extreme stress" in the office. About
1,000 of the 4,000 employees interviewed, who ranged from cleaners to
surgeons, said they had suffered physical or mental ill-health as a result
of workplace pressure. They reported symptoms including tiredness,
headaches, sleeplessness and excessive drinking.

Trades unions have long called for companies to be forced to take
responsibility for stress in the workplace. However, the Confederation of
British Industry argues that companies should not be made to pay for
stress which workers bring into the office from home.

The Government believes that a legally binding "approved code of practice"
- formally defining stress and bringing it under health and safety
legislation - is the best way forward. This would mean that a court could
rule that an employer had broken the law if it did not follow the
guidelines.

Insiders acknowledge that it could be difficult to define "stress" - as an
activity deemed stressful by one person could be a stimulating challenge
to another. However, ministers are determined to tackle a problem which
they believe is undermining the British workforce and believe that the
problems can be overcome. "Stress can be as dangerous as a piece of
equipment in the workplace," a Whitehall source said.

The draft code, already drawn up by the Health and Safety Executive,
defines stress as "the reaction people have to excessive pressures or
other types of demand placed on them. It arises when they worry that they
can't cope".

It says that symptoms associated with stress include anxiety, depression
and heart disease, and employers have a responsibility to reduce their
employees' exposure to such risk. "Stress is not the same as ill-health,"
the draft states. "But in some cases, particularly where pressures are
intense and continue for some time, the effects of stress can be more
sustained and far more damaging, leading to psychological problems and
physical ill-health."

The code, which would have to be approved by an independent panel of
experts, is also likely to identify things which could exacerbate stress -
including bullying, organisational style and working conditions.

Employers will be told to tackle these problems at source and train
managers to spot work-related stress in their staff. The draft code says
that even "if it is not reasonably practicable to prevent work-related
stress at source completely, employers should seek to mitigate, as far as
is reasonably practicable, the consequences of the stress that remains."

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