HR managers concerned with workplace stress

News Article - 12 July 2010
Category: Business

A European health and safety survey has revealed fresh concerns over psycho-social risks - such as stress and harassment - in the workplace. According to the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER), four out of five HR managers have expressed worries over work-related stress, making stress as important as workplace accidents for companies. Within the health and social work sector, 91% of companies regard work-related stress as of some or major concern.

The survey found that employee participation can help facilitate successful implementation of health and safety measures, particularly in smaller companies where it can trigger efficient management of psycho-social risks. Businesses with formal structures for employee representation are more likely to have occupational safety and health (OSH) plans in place (81%), compared to firms that lack formal representation (71%).

In fact, companies that regularly consult staff are twice as likely to apply measures that target psycho-social risks compared to those that formulate policies without staff feedback. Other factors that prevented successful policies being deployed include lack of awareness (26%) and a lack of resources (36%), such as time and money.

The issue of psycho-social risks has been made more prominent by the economic downturn and the extra stress it has bundled on employees, both financial and personal. Businesses must dedicate extra resources to opening communication channels with staff, as this has been proven to increase the chance of health and social policies succeeding. Unhappy staff can lower productivity levels company-wide, a significant risk for organisations needing to increase efficiency in the post-recession climate.

Access software is designed to strengthen the HR function and its ability to communicate effectively with staff. The self-service module allows companies to empower staff, giving them full access to personal details and encouraging regular updates of needs and wishes. Staff can access relevant documents and payslips, can request leave and training and even prepare for appraisals, all within a secure and customisable interface.

By regularly analysing staff feedback, businesses will be more able to successfully implement policies that tackle psycho-social risks, leading to productivity improvements across the firm.

For more information, please call Access on 0845 345 3300.

Article keywords: health & safety, human resources, business new, industry news, software solutions, enterprise software, business software

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