Driving a large HGV or PCV on today’s roads is possibly one of the most stressful work scenarios in today’s busy world. An example of a stress related situation is driving on the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour.
Feeling stressed.
Stress is something everyone feels at times, and there are all kinds of stressful situations that can be a part of daily life. Low-level stress can even be helpful or motivational.
There are plenty of things you can do to help cope with stressful events, and simple steps you can take to deal with feelings of stress or burnout.
What is stress?
Stress is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. It is very common, can be motivating to help us achieve things in our daily life, and can help us meet the demands of home, work and family life.
However, too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships – especially when it feels out of our control. It can make us feel anxious and irritable, and affect our self-esteem.
Experiencing a lot of stress over a long period of time can also lead to a feeling of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, often called burnout.
The tips on this page should help, but if you have been experiencing stress for some time and it’s affecting your daily life or causing you distress, you should consider seeking further support.
Possible causes of stress
Stress affects people differently, and the things that cause stress vary from person to person.
The level of stress you are comfortable with may be higher or lower than that of other people around you. Stressful feelings typically happen when we feel we do not have the resources to manage the challenges we face.
Pressure at work, school or home, illness, or difficult or sudden life events can all lead to stress.
Some possible causes of stress are:
Signs of Stress
Stress can be short-term or long-term. Both can lead to a variety of symptoms, but chronic stress can take a serious toll on the body over time and have long-lasting health effects.
Some common signs of stress include:
Common mental health problems (CMHPs)
One in four people in the UK will have a mental health problem at some point. While mental health problems are common, most are mild. CMHPs tend to be short-term and are normally successfully treated, with medication, by a GP.
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems. Often they are a reaction to a difficult life event, such as bereavement.
How CMHPs and work-related stress go together
Work-related stress and CMHPs often go together – the symptoms of stress and CMHPs are similar. For example loss of appetite, fatigue and tearfulness can be symptoms of both.
Work-related stress can aggravate an existing mental health problem, making it more difficult to control. If work-related stress reaches a point where it has triggered an existing mental health problem, it becomes hard to separate one from the other.
Work-related stress may result in mental health problems when it is experienced over a longer time. This can permanently injure the sufferer.
CMHPs and stress can exist independently – people can experience work-related stress and physical changes such as high blood pressure, without having anxiety and depression. They can also have anxiety and depression without stress.
The key differences between the two are their cause and the way they are treated.
Stress is a reaction to events or experiences in someone’s home life, work life or a combination of both. CMHPs can have a single cause outside work, for example bereavement, divorce, postnatal depression, a medical condition or a family history of the problem. But people can have CMHPs with no obvious causes.
Employers can help manage and prevent stress by improving conditions at work. But you also have a role in making adjustments and helping someone manage a mental health problem at work. In practice, it can be hard to distinguish when ‘stress’ turns into a ‘mental health problem’ and when existing mental health problems become aggravated by stress at work.
Advice for managers on mental health conditions
Talking at an early stage
As a manager, you may have employees who experience mental health difficulties. As soon as you notice that an employee is having mental health difficulties, talk to them – early action can help prevent them becoming more unwell.
If the person does not want to speak to you, suggest they speak to someone else, for example someone from your employee assistance programme, occupational health or their GP.
Line managers should concentrate on making reasonable adjustments at work, rather than understanding the diagnosis. Their GP, medical support or occupational health should be able to provide guidance on what you can do to help them.
If an employee goes off sick, lack of contact or involvement from their manager may mean they feel isolated, forgotten or unable to return. You can reduce the risk of them not returning to work by: keeping them informed about what is going on, including social events reassuring them early on and throughout their absence
Use routine management tools to identify and tackle problems or needs
Use scheduled work meetings, appraisals or informal chats about progress to find out more about any problems an employee may be having. You could have health and safety as an agenda item at meetings. This can be used for things like DSE assessments, as well as stress or mental health issues.
If you have specific concerns about someone, talk about these at an early stage. Ask questions in an open, exploratory and non-judgmental way. These conditions affect people differently; adjusting their job could relieve symptoms. You should be positive and supportive while exploring the issues and how you can help.
If a person has been off sick, you should discuss their return to work and reintegration into the workplace beforehand. A written plan can help. You both might want to agree when they have reached the stage of ‘business as usual’. At this point, you can use existing management processes to review their performance, needs and work plan.
Managing an employee who is tearful and upset
If an employee gets upset, talk to them, reassure them, and tell them that you will give them all the help and support available. Explain that things will go at a pace that suits them. If you are in a meeting with them, ask if they would like someone else with them.
Try to be sensitive to the level of information the person can cope with. In the middle of a crisis, they may not be able to think clearly and take in complex information. Try to stay calm yourself.
Problems can build up over time and while you may feel pressure to do something, it might be better to take some time to think about options properly. Agree with the person which issues are most urgent.
If the session is not helpful for the person or you, rearrange it for when they are less upset. If the problem carries on, you should encourage them to seek help, for example from occupational health or their GP.
A much smaller number of people will experience more severe anxiety or depression, associated with episodes of ‘mania’, with:
In these rare instances, an employee may behave in ways that impact on colleagues or clients and you should keep your responsibilities for all employees in mind.
Take the person to a quiet place and speak to them calmly. Suggest that you contact a friend or relative or that they go home and contact their GP or a member of their mental health team, if appropriate. You may be able to make an appointment and go with them to the surgery, if they want you to.
If someone is experiencing hallucinations or mania, they may not take in what you are saying. In this case, they will need immediate medical help. If an employee is disturbing others and refuses to accept help, seek advice from:
Managing a person with an ongoing illness
Most people who have ongoing mental health problems continue to work successfully. But when someone needs support, managers can work with them to ensure flexibility to suit their health needs.
People with mental health problems should be treated in exactly the same way as any other member of staff, unless they ask for help or demonstrate clear signs that they need it. It is discriminatory to make assumptions about people’s capabilities, their promo ability or the amount of sick leave they may need because of their illness.
Coping strategies
Most people are encouraged to develop a coping strategy as part of their care. This often involves noting signs of a possible relapse and taking pre-emptive action, such as cutting down on work, being careful about drinking alcohol, taking exercise and finding time to relax. It is important you support the employee at this first warning stage. Small, inexpensive adjustments may well prevent a more costly period of illness.
Advance statements
Some people find it useful to draw up an ‘advance statement’, which explains how they want to be treated if they become unwell. The statement can cover practical arrangements such as details of the people to be contacted or provided with information.
It might be helpful to draw up an advance statement, which relates to the workplace. It could include:
If an employee draws up an agreement with you, you should put the statement into practice to maintain trust.
Guidance and support
There is advice and support available to those in work who have experienced mental health issues, and their employers. Several resources are available that can provide guidance and support.
Advice for employees with mental health conditions
If you already feel under pressure, it’s hard to distinguish when ‘stress’ turns into a ‘mental health problem’ and when an existing mental health problem is made worse by stress at work. Many of the symptoms of stress and a mental health condition are similar. The main differences are the severity and duration of the symptoms and the impact they have on your everyday life.
Most people with mental health problems are diagnosed and treated by their GP and continue to work productively. In fact, evidence shows that staying in work can be a great help to those affected.
Take action at an early stage
If you feel you have a problem, the sooner you do something about it, the better – it can stop you becoming more unwell. Line managers and colleagues can also play an important role in identifying when colleagues are behaving out of character, so be cooperative if your line manager approaches you with concerns.
Using ordinary management tools to identify problems and needs
It might be that certain tasks, work environments; times of the day or being part of a particular team is linked to your issues. If you feel you have a mental health problem, raise it with your line manager, HR or someone else in the workplace. You could make use of scheduled meetings, appraisals or informal chats about progress that you have with your manager – these can give you both a chance to talk about any problems you have.
Remember
Stress does not affect everyone in the same way. Your employer can make adjustments to ease your stress, but only if you give them a better understanding of your position
Discussions can be positive – you can work out how your employer can help you.
If you are returning to work after illness
Most people who have had an illness will recover and return to work. However, if you have had time off sick, you should talk to your manager and agree a plan for your return to work before you come back. You may reach a stage in your recovery when you can return to work, before you are 100% ready for ‘business as usual’. This can mean you need some support or changes in your role or work to make your return easier. You should talk to your manager and work together to meet your needs. A written plan may help you both agree when you have reached the ‘business as usual’ stage.
If you remain unwell despite support, you should get help. Consider asking for a referral to your organisation’s occupational health department, if it has one, or see your GP. It is possible that your condition is covered by the Equality Act 2010 www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-guidance which requires your employer to make reasonable adjustments to help you get back into work. However, if you don’t discuss these issues honestly with them, your manager is unlikely to be able to meet your requirements.
If you are going through a hard time and would like to talk to someone, there are organisations that can help, please visit the HSE website at
www.hse.gov.uk/stress/resources.htm
Other Related Links
Find out more about anxiety from www.anxietyuk.org.uk a national charity for people affected by anxiety disorders; or, find out more about depression from MIND, the charity for mental health www.mind.org.uk
For further reading on this subject, please visit the links below:
Source – NHS
