In the current economic climate, stress is an increasingly important issue in most businesses. NorthgateArinso Employer Services offers some advice on how to spot it and how to deal with it. In the face of the worst recession for 60 years, even the most resilient of small business owners is likely to feel stressed. Business is down, money is getting tighter and workloads are unrelenting. Addressing the root causes of stress is essential to ensure the wellbeing and performance of both you and your employees but also to safeguard the overall health of your company. So how should you approach stress and what steps can you take to manage it in your business? Why tackle stress? The cost of neglecting stress in your business can be high. The unexpected absence of just one member of staff can greatly affect productivity and efforts to secure cover can be costly and time-consuming. As well as lost productivity and rising sickness absence, there are legal implications that can escalate the cost of stress to businesses still further. For example, the risk of compensation claims for stress-related injuries and illness are making it more important than ever for employers to exercise their duty of care by reducing the incidence of stress at work. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that employers have a general duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. This includes taking steps to make sure they do not suffer stress-related illness as a result of their work. Causes of stress • Job insecurity - one of the biggest causes of stress during the current downturn is the fear of redundancy. This has an impact not only on employees, but also for those having to make the redundancies. Don't be tempted to rush through things because you're under pressure, maintaining standard practice and making sure you get it right will pay off in the long term by preventing undue stress and pressure. • Work overload and excessive pressure can be major stress triggers. The danger of overloading staff to the point that they are no longer effective is a very real issue when operating in a tough market. • Insufficient workload - beware of 'underload', not enough work can be just as stress inducing. Managing work and sharing the burden across the whole team is key to keeping employees involved and engaged. Other common causes of stress include a lack of control, difficulty making the transition into a new role and ineffective management. In some cases, the stress may be non-work related but having an impact on the person's ability to perform at work. Know the signs It's all about knowing your people. Are there changes in their behaviour, is their work suffering, do they suddenly become withdrawn or are they increasingly absent? Being constantly vigilant and becoming good at spotting stress in others is a vital skill. Stress can manifest itself both physically but also mentally. Stressed individuals are prone to making more mistakes and may display behaviour that is irritable and touchy. It is when stress is suppressed that it does the most harm. It is important to create a supportive environment which prevents stress from festering and spiralling to a point where a person is no longer able to come to work. Work with staff to combat stress One of the best ways of assessing stress levels in your business is to carry out a stress audit. This can also help you to assess the risks of stress that people in your business may face as part of your health and safety risk assessment. A stress audit involves talking informally to staff to find out where there may be concerns. It is important to let your people know why you are carrying out the exercise and what you are trying to achieve. Revisiting this every six months demonstrates that you are committed to addressing the concerns raised and enables you to monitor how effectively this is being achieved.