Cutting the Cost of Stress at Work

“Work-related stress is the biggest occupational cause of working days lost through injury or ill-health, and it is costing employers worldwide millions of dollars. It’s time for organizations to meet their existing duty of care to help end the epidemic of stress related illnesses” declared James Goldstein, PhD, IMSM’s Business Manager in New York.
Businesses of all sizes can experience significant hidden costs, arising from impaired decision making and poor communications, reduced creativity and a tendency to be more accident prone, as well as the more obvious costs of downtime through accidents, litigation, staff turnover, and absenteeism.

Stress can be defined as a response to the perceived relationship between the demands on an individual, and the individual’s ability to cope. While pressure is part and parcel of all work, and can help keep us motivated, too much pressure can lead to stress, undermining performance, which is costly to employers and can make people ill. Today’s businesses, whether in manufacturing, distribution, or services need to demonstrate that they are taking seriously their duty of care to their employees.

Recent evidence suggests that sustained stress is as bad for the heart as smoking, and can cause a wide range of illnesses from cancer to infertility. Stress is thought to induce physical illness through hormonal changes that raise blood pressure and heart rate, and weakening of the immune system.

One international standard which can help businesses show that they have taken all reasonable measures to document and prevent stress related illnesses, is the newly revised BS OHSAS 18001 (Health & Safety). This Standard works on the same principle as the ISO standards, ISO9001:2000 (Quality management) and ISO14001 (environment), following the successful Plan- Do-Check-Act model.  If a business already has ISO9001:2000 in place, achieving BS OHSAS 18001 becomes much simpler.  Existing systems can be fully integrated, with a continuous improvement model built in to take account of changing business needs.

Implementing BS OHSAS18001 provides the organization with preventative measures to protect your employees from the effects of stress, by having a framework in which to develop and implement policies which manage not only the content but the context of their work.

 Dr Goldstein concludes, “In a world competing for skilled staff, this makes your business a more attractive choice. Businesses with a good health and safety reputation attract and retain better employees. This Standard highlights the components of good organization, job design and management that keep stress levels in check and enhance productivity. Preventing today’s workers developing tomorrow’s illnesses makes good business sense.” 

11/07