We are committed to protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of our colleagues. We recognise the importance of identifying and tackling the causes of work-related stress. We also recognise that personal stress, while unrelated to the workplace, can adversely affect wellbeing at work.

We want to support the mental wellbeing of all our colleagues and will provide appropriate support for staff who are suffering from stress or mental ill health, on a confidential basis where appropriate, regardless of its source.

COVID-19: We understand that world events are currently causing a particularly stressful situation for all colleagues and that it is even more important to support our colleagues. Please speak to your manager if you feel you need support.

We will:

• Promote a culture of open communication. We want our colleagues to feel confident that any concerns they raise about their work or working environment will be addressed.
• Take account of stress and mental wellbeing when planning and allocating workloads.
• Monitor working hours and overtime to ensure that staff are not overworking and monitor holidays to ensure that staff are taking appropriate rest breaks from work.
• Implement policies and procedures to address factors that can cause stress at work, or add to personal stress.

This policy covers all employees, officers, consultants, contractors, interns, casual workers and agency workers.

T

his policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment and we may amend it at any time.

Understanding stress and mental health

Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or demands placed on them. Stress is not an illness but, sustained over a period of time, it can lead to mental and/or physical illness.

Mental health is a term to describe our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing; it affects how we think, feel and act and how we cope with the normal pressures of everyday life. Positive mental health is rarely an absolute state since factors inside and outside work affect mental health, meaning that we move on a spectrum that ranges from being in good to poor mental health.

There is an important distinction between working under pressure and experiencing stress. Certain levels of pressure are acceptable and normal in every job. They can improve performance, enable individuals to meet their full potential and provide a sense of achievement and job satisfaction. However, when pressure becomes excessive it produces stress and undermines mental health.

Pressures outside the workplace, whether the result of unexpected or traumatic events such as accidents, illness, bereavement, family breakdown or financial worries, can result in stress and poor mental health. They can also compound normal workplace pressures.