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Dealing with individual workers suffering from stress

Although it is always preferable to prevent ill-health before it arises, in practice, union representatives may be called on to represent individual members who are already victims of stress. As well as considering the workplace causes, which may be affecting other members, union representatives should bear in mind the following priorities:

• to protect the member's health and job
• to insist on a second medical opinion, where the member's job depends on it
• to solve the immediate problem (for example, temporary sick leave, transfer, re-allocation of work)
• to ensure the member is getting the right sort of professional health
• to investigate the underlying cause of the problem with other union members
• to remove, or reduce, the causes of workplace stress

(Labour Research Department 1988).

Stress in the Post Office

The following is an example of a model agreement currently being negotiated by the Union of Communication Workers on dealing with individuals suffering from stress.

1. The parties to this agreement recognise that stress at work is a health and safety problem and that employers have a duty under Section 2 of the health and Safety at Work Act to take all reasonable practicable measures to prevent stress at work. Under Section 7 of the Act, employees have a duty not to endanger themselves or others and to co-operate with their employer in meeting statutory requirements.
2. This agreement will apply to all employees working in all areas of the Post Office Businesses' activities. The same opportunities for counselling and other help will be offered to all staff, regardless of sex, age, race, grade or job.
3. Where stress causes deterioration in job performance, this will be treated as a health problem and the sufferer will be encouraged to seek help under the terms of this policy. There will be no discrimination against individuals suffering from stress.
4. The organisation and arrangements for dealing with stress at work will form part of the employer's Health and Safety Policy, and should be read in conjunction with that policy.
5. Priority will be given to assessing the causes of stress at work and introducing measures to reduce or prevent stress. The Businesses will designate individuals, normally from the personnel function, who will be responsible for carrying out this assessment, in consultation with Union Representatives from the work area. Specific training will be provided for people carrying out assessment.
6. Counselling will be offered by trained counsellors who may be drawn from the Welfare Service. Such counselling will be strictly confidential between the counsellor and member of staff. No details or records will be disclosed without the written permission of the member of staff concerned.
7. Employees suffering from stress and stress-related illnesses will be offered paid time off to attend stress counselling sessions. In addition, names of stress counsellors and how to contact them will be posted on notice boards, so that staff can make arrangements for counselling outside their working hours if they wish. (This is for staff who do not want to ask for time off and draw attention to their need for counselling.)
8. Information and training will be given to all employees. This will be given to all employees. This will include information on the causes and effects of stress; a copy of this stress agreement; arrangements for seeking help; arrangements for reporting causes of stress and work-related illnesses.
9. Employees unable to continue in their job because of stress-related illness will be offered alternative suitable posts, subject to agreed procedures for relocation. Relocation will be considered as a last resort, unless requested by the member of staff concerned.
10. This policy will be reviewed jointly by the POUC and the Post Office Businesses, on a regular basis. The initial review of effectiveness will take place twelve months after this policy comes into effect. Thereafter, reviews will be carried out at intervals of not more than two years.

Professor Cary Cooper of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology said about an early study he had conducted: "Stress counselling in the Post Office substantially reduced sickness absence and improved the mental well-being of employees. Although a structured cost benefit analysis was not undertaken, the reductions in sickness absence are likely to have produced substantial economic savings".

ASLEF, the train drivers' union, has also been successful in persuading management of the need to have in place a policy on dealing with workplace stress - in this case the stress caused by witnessing railway suicides, or other incidents where a person has been killed or seriously injured. In October 1992, the British Railways Board issued instructions for local managers aimed at reducing the risk of post-incident trauma for train crew involved with suicide, fatality or near-miss incidents. The route managers' responsibilities include:

• making arrangements for the train crew to be interviewed as soon as possible to see if they need to be relieved from duty
• ensuring that the person, upon arrival at the home depot, is seen by a management representative for counselling
• providing follow-up support and monitoring by a suitably qualified person, through home visits and telephone calls, to ensure continuing care, concern and support until the person returns to work
• providing monitoring on return to work to establish whether further assistance is required. For all drivers, this includes ensuring that the person is accompanied in the driving cab on the first occasion they are required to work over the section of the route where the incident occurred.
• interviewing the person by a management representative again six weeks after the event to establish if any further assistance/counselling is necessary.

In May 1994 an expansion of this policy was proposed by British Railways Board, to provide protection of earnings for workers taking time off following involvement in any serious incident.