Griffith Health

Employee perceptions of the management of workplace stress

Nicholas BuysGriffith University

Lynda MatthewsUniversity of Sydney

Christine RandallGriffith University

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Impact of Workplace Stress

• US: Cost $300 billion per year absenteeism, reduced productivity and turnover

• UK: Costs economy 10% of GDP

• Australia: Direct costs to employers of over $15 billion

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Level of Intervention

• Sources of workplace stress include: • excessive work hours • unreasonable performance demands • health and safety risks • lack of autonomy• poor communication, role ambiguity• job insecurity• workplace conflict• bullying and harassment

• Interventions therefore required at organisational level as well as with individual

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Workplace Stress and DM

Considerable evidence to support a DM approach that addresses sources of workplace stress

Minimal research into application of DM to the management of work-related stress

Lack of research into employees’ perceptions of the extent to which their employers implement effective disability management

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Purpose of Study

To explore how employees perceive their organizations’ efforts to address the management of stress in their workplaces

To examine differences in the management of workplace stress based on organizational location and size

To explore relationships between the incidence of stress, management of stress, and the number and likelihood of compensation claims

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Method

Management of Workplace Stress Questionnaire

Purpose: Ratings of how organization addresses prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of workplace stress

Section 1: Demographic variables» Location of organisation ie country» Organisational type eg manufacturing, retail» Organisational size ie number of employees» Respondent’s role in the organisation

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Method

Management of Workplace Stress Questionnaire

Section 2: 30 statements and 3 open-ended questions

Example items“My organization has a safety program to address workplace

stress”

“In my organization workplace accommodations are made to help workers with stress condition to RTW”

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Method

Management of Workplace Stress Questionnaire

Open-ended questions

How does your organization informs employees about its workplace stress management policy?

What areas of work in your organization have been identified as having risks?

What services are provided by your organization to manage workplace stress?

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Demographics

Roles

Owner/manager (27%),

Disability manager (17%)

Academic/researcher (11%),

Claims manager (6%)

Human resource manager (3%),

Other (36%)

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Demographics

Region

Europe (63%)

North America (24%),

Oceania (11%),

Asia (1%)

Africa (1%)

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Demographics

Business Type

Health and community services (23%)

Government agency (21%)

Finance, insurance, property (13%)

Education (12%)

Manufacturing (6%)

Transport (4%)

Retail trade (2%)

Other (19%).

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Results

Three sub-scales identified in Questionnaire :

1.Prevention

2.Rehabilitation

3.Workplace Environment

Scales had high level of internal consistency

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Results

Respondents not overly positive about their organisations’ management of workplace stress

Mean scores on individual survey items ranged from 3.06 to 4.85 (3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 5 = Agree)

On 67% of items the mean response was less than 4

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Results: Prevention sub-scale items

Main areas of concern Stress prevention training Collection and analysis of data to inform prevention

efforts Assessing risk relating to stress Provision of safety programs to address workplace

stress

One area perceived to be adequate Process to minimize physical risks in the workplace

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Results: Rehabilitation sub-scale items

Rated more positively than prevention Provision of workplace accommodations Monitoring and follow up of workers

Main area of concern Training of supervisors to assist workers with a stress

injury to return to work

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Results: Workplace Environment sub-scale items

Areas rated most positively Level of job satisfaction in the organization Level of trust between management and employees

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Results: Demographic variables

No differences based on regional or organizational location

Significant differences based on organizational size and workplace environment

Smaller organizations (<100 employees) rated significantly higher than medium or large organizations on:

» Job satisfaction» Levels of trust between management and employees» Joint resolution on ways to manage stress» Organizational commitment to deal with issues causing

stress

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Results

Higher levels of reported stress in organizations were associated with lower ratings of workplace environments

Lower levels of compensation claims were associated with higher ratings of prevention & higher workplace environment ratings

A higher likelihood of making a claim was negatively associated with higher ratings of the workplace environment

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Results: Qualitative data

Communication of workplace stress management policy Email, intranet, on-line bulletins, Information sessions, induction training, staff training,

staff meetings Operations manuals, posters, company newspapers,

information brochures Personal contact, telephone helplines Health & safety policies

15/48 responses (31%) ⇒ no formal communication of policy

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Results: Qualitative data

Areas of work identified as having risks Various occupational roles High workload, time pressure, production deadlines,

Lack of resources, lack of supervision, lack of control, constant change, unrealistic performance expectations

Exposure to physical risks Adversarial management style, conflict with colleagues Client expectations, aggressive clients Poor work-life balance, shift work, long hours

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Results: Qualitative data

Services to help workers manage workplace stress

Work arrangements Flexible working conditions Mandated working hours Provision of mentors Job sharing Workplace and job accommodations Opportunities to attend seminars & conferences

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Results: Qualitative data

Services to help workers manage workplace stress

Counselling, family support services, employee assistance

programs Occupational health services Workplace health promotion, wellness information, relaxation

programs On-line help services, and workplace stress analyses Gym facilities doctor consultations Support groups Manager training, personal coaching

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Conclusions

Employees are under-whelmed by the efforts of their employers to address the management of workplace stress, particularly in the area of prevention

Importance of a positive workplace culture

A systems approach is required to address the range of individual, organizational and environmental issues that impact management of workplace stress

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Limitations & Further Research

Nature and size of survey sample

Validity of questionnaire not fully established

Further research needed using larger populations to examine influence of number of independent variables