LRD guides and handbook April 2014

Stress and mental health at work - a guide for trade union reps

Introduction

Introduction [pages 3-4] (614 words)

Stress has become one of the principal by-products of the modern workplace. Although the economy has begun to pick up over recent months, millions of ...
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Chapter 1

1. WHAT IS STRESS AND WHO DOES IT AFFECT — THE SCALE AND COST OF THE PROBLEM [ch 1: page 5] (197 words)

Work-related stress is defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as: “The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types ...
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Who does it affect? [ch 1: page 5] (57 words)

The safety reps’ view [ch 1: pages 5-6] (264 words)

HSE statistics [ch 1: page 6] (221 words)

Age and gender and stress [ch 1: pages 6-7] (145 words)

Workplace size and stress [ch 1: page 7] (102 words)

Stress in different industrial and service sectors [ch 1: pages 8-11] (1,758 words)

The symptoms of stress [ch 1: pages 11-12] (394 words)

The causes of stress at work [ch 1: pages 12-14] (670 words)

The HSE framework [ch 1: page 14] (77 words)

The costs of stress and mental ill health [ch 1: pages 15-16] (770 words)

Signs of a stressed workplace [ch 1: page 17] (166 words)

Chapter 2

2. THE IMPACT OF AUSTERITY AND INSECURITY [ch 2: pages 18-20] (1,089 words)

Although the economy has come out of recession, the multi-billion pound spending cuts the Conservative-led coalition government is imposing as part ...
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“Presenteeism” [ch 2: page 20] (350 words)

Chapter 3

3. THE LAW AND WORK-RELATED STRESS [ch 3: page 21] (427 words)

This Chapter summarises the legal duties owed by the employer to manage and where possible eliminate work-related stress. ...
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The Health and Safety at Work Act [ch 3: page 22] (77 words)

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations [ch 3: page 22] (264 words)

Management Standards for work-related stress [ch 3: pages 22-23] (156 words)

Enforcement [ch 3: page 23] (371 words)

Removal of strict liability in health and safety [ch 3: page 24] (375 words)

Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations [ch 3: page 25] (156 words)

The Working Time Regulations [ch 3: pages 25-27] (667 words)

Disability discrimination and stress [ch 3: pages 27-28] (570 words)

Pre-employment health checks [ch 3: page 28] (313 words)

Stress-related sickness absence and disability [ch 3: page 29] (365 words)

Providing a counselling service [ch 3: page 29] (63 words)

Rehabilitation following stress-related sickness absence — the “Fit Note” [ch 3: page 30] (355 words)

Personal injury cases arising from stress [ch 3: page 31] (178 words)

Stress-related sickness absence and unfair dismissal [ch 3: page 31] (242 words)

Ill-health retirement as an alternative to dismissal [ch 3: pages 31-32] (91 words)

Constructive dismissal [ch 3: pages 32-33] (519 words)

Landmark cases in the civil courts for personal (psychiatric) injury [ch 3: pages 33-35] (1,166 words)

Practical pointers arising from the cases [ch 3: pages 35-36] (278 words)

Difficulties in bringing a claim [ch 3: pages 36-37] (594 words)

Other significant/recent judgments relating to stress and mental health [ch 3: pages 37-39] (737 words)

Funding changes and personal injury claims [ch 3: pages 39-40] (357 words)

Chapter 4

4. HSE GUIDANCE ON STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH [ch 4: page 41] (270 words)

Since 2004, the HSE has developed its Stress Management Standards and produced a range of publications aimed at getting employers to deal with stress ...
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Stress Management Standards [ch 4: page 42] (240 words)

Before using the Management Standards [ch 4: pages 42-44] (606 words)

Making the Management Standards work [ch 4: pages 44-45] (195 words)

Management behaviour [ch 4: page 45] (256 words)

What the HSE Stress Management Standards should achieve [ch 4: pages 46-48] (762 words)

Chapter 5

5. UNION ACTION ON STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK [ch 5: page 49] (330 words)

Unions have long campaigned for work-related stress to be taken seriously by changing the law, through better regulation from Europe, or by a UK ...
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Negotiating a stress policy [ch 5: pages 49-50] (153 words)

Model stress prevention policy [ch 5: pages 50-53] (1,067 words)

TUC and union guidance on using the HSE Stress Management Standards [ch 5: pages 53-54] (473 words)

Carrying out a workplace survey [ch 5: page 54] (77 words)

The TUC Stress MOT [ch 5: page 54] (114 words)

“Pass” or “fail” the MOT? [ch 5: page 55] (105 words)

What if your workplace “fails” the MOT? [ch 5: page 55] (215 words)

Union action [ch 5: pages 55-57] (745 words)

Rehabilitation and support for individuals suffering from stress [ch 5: pages 57-58] (479 words)

Providing training for reps [ch 5: pages 58-60] (606 words)

Returning to work [ch 5: pages 60-61] (161 words)

Examples of good practice [ch 5: pages 61-62] (487 words)

Further information

Further help and information [pages 63-64] (353 words)

Acas, (Head Office) Euston Tower, 286 Euston Road, London NW1 3JJ; Helpline: 08457 474747; www.acas.org.uk ...
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