HSE Preventing Stress - New - Line Manager Competency Indica

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No. 627/12
Ref EX5
Date: 20 August 2012

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

HSE "Preventing Stress - Promoting Positive Management Behaviour" - New - Line Manager Competency Indicator Tool
HSE have published information regarding the above and have stated that line managers have many significant roles to play in managing and tackling stress, identifying and managing those with stress, implementing any organisational stress policy, and communicating issue both up and down the management chain.
HSE add that managers also need to think about their behaviour, and how it can either add to the stress their staff experience or help alleviate the problem. Poor management behaviour is often highlighted as a major factor by those suffering from work related stress.
Training is usually given to those going into management but often they are then left to “get on with it” with no checks on how the manager is coping. It is difficult for managers to get feedback that allows them to assess how their staff are affected by their behaviour – a manager may be doing something that affects their staff but they are unaware of it.
The HSE, in association with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Investors in People, have designed a series of tools to allow managers to assess whether they currently have the behaviours identified as effective for preventing and reducing stress at work; its aim is to help managers reflect on their behaviour and management style.
These tools include a self-assessment tool, one that requires input from the manager’s staff (180°) and one that allows input from staff, senior managers and peers (360°).
HSE have also created a self-assessment questionnaire to allow a manager to measure the extent to which they show the relevant behaviour

Recent research, funded by Health and Safety Executive, together with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Investors in People developed ‘management competencies for preventing and reducing stress’ a framework of the core behavioural competencies that line managers need to show, in order to prevent and reduce stress in their staff.
The results of this research are being used to develop a package of tools designed to help managers show the behaviours that are important for preventing stress at work in their staff. We are proposing that there will be two different types of material, aimed at different audiences:
Material designed to be used directly by line managers on-line or by downloading; and
Material for those supporting managers in developing their management skills (including executive coaches/mentors, stress management consultants, training and development professionals, HR/OH/H&S) – to be incorporated into coaching programmes, training courses and other manager support/development mechanisms.
This simple tool allows for a self assessment by managers based on their own interpretation of how they behave.
"Preventing Stress - Promoting Positive Management Behaviour" - Line Managers Competency Tool [4] (180°/360° feedback) is available at:  http://preventingstress.cipd.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This recently released tool, available on the CIPD/AXA PPP Employee health and wellbeing website at: [5 http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/axa/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is designed for managers to ask for feedback from colleagues to provide their impression of the managers behaviour and allow them to hold up a mirror to their views and to understand how their behaviour impacts on the people they manage – it also provides on-line learning materials to help them improve their management style.
The tool contains:
Online resources for managers to help them manage their staff in ways that prevent and reduce stress within the workforce.
Learning materials to help HR practitioners to support managers to manage their staff in ways that prevent and reduce stress in their workforce.

The HSE, long with CIPD and IiP, is continuing to develope the new suite of tools for both line-managers and those who train and support them in that role. These new tools to assess and develop managers’ skills, to help them reduce and prevent stress in those they manage. Part of this development will include testing them with potential users. HSE are inviting interested people to get involved with testing, developing and refining the tools. To sign up to try out the prototype tools and help HSE evaluate and refine them go to:- http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/volunteer.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HSE Stress Tools and templates
There are a number of tools associated with the Management Standards process provided across the HSE website which are free for you to use or share. There are also a number of templates to use as a starting point. Below is a quick access list of the tools. The tools and templates are available at : http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/downloads.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Securing management commitment [1] - details the legal requirements for taking action
What should you be doing? The Management Standards
HSE Indicator Tool [3]
HSE Indicator Tool user manual [5]
[6]HSE Analysis Tool [8]
HSE Analysis Tool user manual [9]
Example stress policy [10]
Are you doing enough? [11]
Action plan and Worked Example [12]
How to run focus groups [13]
Steering groups [14]
Management competencies:
Line Manager Competency Indicator Tool [15]
Line Managers’ Resource: A practical guide to managing and supporting people with mental health problems in the workplace [16]
Return to work after absence:
Return to work discussion question template [17]

Note: The HSE Management Standards Indicator Tool should be used in conjunction with the HSE Management Standards Indicator Tool User Manual.
Health and Safety Reps
The HSE has designed a series of simple exercises aimed directly at Health and Safety Representatives, which will help them better understand their role in tackling stress at work using the Management Standards approach at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/roles/tradeunions.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Attachments - HSE Stress Tools pdfs


Yours Sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment

[Lincox]

They dont need a tool to tell them that they are a bunch of bullying bstrds.