A Guide to Managing Workplace Stress

Abstract

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has commissioned recent research which has indicated that:

-about half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill;
-up to 5 million people in the UK feel "very" or "extremely" stressed by their work; and
-a total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004/5.

Work-related stress is therefore a serious problem and tackling it effectively can result in significant benefits for organizations. This can result in a happier and more productive workforce with fewer days away from work with stress related illnesses. Managers will also want to comply with recent HSE advice on managing stress within the workplace fulfilling their duty of care to employees. This should result in less exposure of organisations to the threat of litigation and the resultant negative publicity this causes. The intention of this book is to provide information to those who may be suffering from work related stress and to provide managers with a “toolkit” to help address such problems in the workforce.

About the Author

Dr. Trevor Hicks
Trevor Hicks studied Physics at Oxford University before qualifying as a doctor at Bristol University in 1985. He served for 10 years as a Royal Air Force Medical Officer both as a General Practitioner and as a Military Psychiatrist during the first Gulf War. He then worked as a General Practitioner in the NHS before completing his training as a Psychiatrist. He completed a Master of Laws in the Legal Aspects of Medical Practice at Cardiff University in 2002. He has an interest in the occupational management of stress and currently works as a Civilian Consultant Psychiatrist in Community Psychiatry at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. He continues to treat Service Personnel who have often been exposed to the extremes of stress and advises on their occupational management.

Mrs. Caroline McSherry
Caroline McSherry qualified as a registered nurse in 1993 from Antrim Area College of nursing in Northern Ireland. She has spent the past 11 years treating the full spectrum of emotional and anxiety disorders within the Royal Air Force. Having completed a BSc (Hons) in Community Mental Health Nursing in 2000 she went on to study for the Oxford Post-Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Therapy in 2001/02 and is now registered with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (BABCP). Caroline has specialised in occupational stress issues, trauma related disorders and health promotion. She initiated and developed a number of teaching and therapy packages within various RAF Squadrons and Stations including the 3 day Flying Phobia Course for all serving members of the Ministry of Defence. Caroline is currently working privately as a Cognitive Behavioural Nurse Therapist in Scotland.