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Surveys and questionnaires

A fundamental activity in any plan to tackle workplace stress is the carrying out of a workplace survey or questionnaire. Surveys can vary in sophistication and scale. You may want to involve academics, in which you can either try to get local colleges/universities involved for free (try your nearest hazards centre for contacts and support), or get management to stump up cash for a consultancy. If you do want to enlist the help of outside "experts", make sure they are working with the trade union all the way, and that workers confidentiality is ensured.

In the first instance, a trade union investigation is most appropriate. It is one of the first steps to formally raising the issue of stress with workers and management. You do not have to carry out a survey that would stand up to rigid tests of scientific validity, trade unionists do not have to be epidemiologists to establish from their membership that they experience work-related stress. A survey can be a means of conducting an initial investigation of the nature and extent of workplace stress.

However, you do have to do a lot of work to make sure the questionnaire is filled out by practically everyone. Obviously if only a small proportion of the workforce return the questionnaire you cannot use it as a basis for negotiations with management. So members must be actively encouraged to fill them in, hold meetings, circulate leaflets, help members fill in the questionnaires, make sure the context is clear - if they want something done about stress the onus is on the staff to demonstrate to management that there is a genuine problem. Make sure members know the survey is completely confidential.

A questionnaire will certainly increase members' awareness of occupational stress and it will provide valuable information for the trade union. You may consider it more appropriate to get the branch to undertake the survey, if it is a widespread problem. This would certainly help in ensuring anonymity, in pooling resources and in persuading management that stress is a genuine problem. It still means that the workplace representatives have to be prepared to do the legwork!

Model stress questionnaire

Stress results when demands made on individual workers are in excess of the resources to meet them. In order to provide convincing evidence that complaints of stress must be treated seriously and urgently, we are gathering information about the type and extent of stress in this workplace. Your answers to the following questions will be an important part of this information.

ANYTHING WRITTEN ON THIS QUESTIONNAIRE WILL BE TREATED WITH THE STRICTEST CONFIDENCE. YOU ARE NOT ASKED TO PROVIDE YOUR NAME.

1. Do you suffer from any of the following?

2. While working, do you ever feel

3. How often do you use tobacco, alcohol or drugs to help with the above symptoms?

1. Do any of the following apply to the conditions in your workplace?

2. Is the equipment you use at work

3. Assessments and inspections

Have assessments been carried out on all hazards as required by the relevant legislation such as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, Noise Regulations, Display Screen Equipment Regulations etc.?

Are hazards adequately controlled?

Have workers been consulted during the assessment process?

Are trade union inspections carried out?

4. Do any of these factors apply to your work?

5. What measures would you like to see to reduce stress levels?

6. Any other comments