Have You Considered Workplace Stress Management Training?

Let’s face it!  Life is stressful; and that is not going to change.  The challenge with stress is that there are different triggers for all of us; and finding the “optimal” level of stress fluctuates from one person to another. We know that too much long-term chronic stress causes numerous health problems that cost employers money. According to Dr. Richard Earle, managing director of the Canadian Institute of Stress, ” Higher stress levels elevate absence costs by up to 19 per cent, all disability costs by up to 30 per cent and turnover costs by up to 40 per cent.” Additionally, according to Towers-Watson, stress-based mental health issues are the drivers behind 85 per cent of long-term disability claims.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada developed the new Canadian Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, which was introduced in January 2013.  The Standard includes information on:

  • The identification of psychological hazards in the workplace;
  • The assessment and control of the risks in the workplace associated with hazards that cannot be eliminated (e.g. stressors due to organizational change or reasonable job demands);
  • The implementation of practices that support and promote psychological health and safety in the workplace;
  • The growth of a culture that promotes psychological health and safety in the workplace;
  • The implementation of systems of measurement and review to ensure sustainability of the overall approach.

Some of the tactics employers need to consider rolling out to manage workplace stress include policies and training on stress management, respectful workplace, and change management.  First off, an employer should conduct an assessment to measure what areas, at their organization, are causing its employees the highest stress levels.  Factors that influence how much stress your staff experience at work, according to the Standard, include, but are not limited to the following:

Stress Influencers in the Workplace

  • psychological support;
  • organizational culture;
  • clear leadership and expectations;
  • civility and respect;
  • psychological job demands;
  • growth and development;
  • recognition and reward;
  • involvement and influence;
  • workload management;
  • engagement;
  • work/life balance;
  • psychological protection from violence, bullying, and harassment;
  • protection of physical safety; and
  • other chronic stressors as identified by workers.

For more information on the Standards; and other tools in place to support employers in managing workplace stress, please see the link below to the MHCC website.
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/node/5346.

Contact Higher Talent today to set up a training session with staff on Enabling a Respectful Workplace; and Stress Management for Employee