Find out about the signs of stress.
Managers: dealing with stress in your staff
These webpages provide you with information to assist you to promote and improve the wellbeing of the staff you manage. You can find information to assist you in improving your own wellbeing in the stress webpages, to which your staff should also be directed.
Your responsibilities
As a manager you are responsible for actions which will promote the wellbeing of your staff. You can do this by:
- ensuring that they are fully consulted about all aspects of their work that may cause them stress, or impact on their wellbeing, when changes affecting them are planned
- considering their workloads to ensure that their tasks are realistic and manageable
- ensuring that they receive appropriate training and resources to carry out their work
- ensuring that they have access to appropriate developmental opportunities
- monitoring their work and leave, to ensure that they take sufficient breaks from their work
- managing their absence in accordance with the University’s absence management policy
- ensuring that your staff are aware of the University’s intolerance of bullying and harassment and its commitment and legal duty to equality and diversity
- recognising that staff may have experiences in their home lives that may make them more vulnerable to pressures at work and may temporarily impair their performance
- treating all discussions with their staff on health and wellbeing as confidential (unless they give written agreement for disclosure).
Dealing with stress in your staff
We all work under varying amounts of pressure and, provided this is not excessive, this pressure can stimulate and motivate us and keep us engaged. Work related stress may be defined as being “the adverse reaction people have to excessive work pressures or other types of demand placed on them” (Health and Safety Executive (HSE). If not excessive, pressure does not necessarily give rise to stress. Although the University’s prime responsibility is to address staff’s work related stress, it recognises that stress may also arise from issues outside work and it will remain sympathetic.
The University expects you, as a manager, to identify signs and symptoms of undue stress in your staff and to assess the risks of harm, to them personally and to your team. It also expects you to help your staff to deal with issues causing them stress, by discussion and with the assistance of your line management and the University’s support services (eg the Occupational health service).
What are the signs of stress?
Find out more about the signs of stress and how to recognise it in your staff.
What are the causes of stress?
Find out about the possible causes of work-related stress.
