Managing staff stress

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has undertaken recent studies to gauge how the recession has affected stress in the workplace.

Stress in the workplace can be caused by a whole range of factors, including many which are not work-related. The CIPD studies showed that more than half of employees are currently facing personal financial struggles, which is affecting their stress levels, and therefore their ability to perform to full capacity at work.

This presents the employer with two challenges – firstly dealing with concerns for staff welfare, and secondly coping with potentially lower efficiency levels, especially if sickness rates have risen as a result of stress.

Around three-quarters of those surveyed reported that there was a lack of advice in the workplace, which has led to the CIPD producing guides on stress management and financial awareness. These aim to equip the employer with the tools required to support staff through times of difficulty.

Many business owners find such aspects of staff management a daunting prospect, especially if they lack experience in this field. Getting the balance right between supporting individuals on the one hand, but needing to maximise business efficiencies on the other, can be extremely hard.

HJS People can help in two ways. Firstly, we can give practical advice on how to handle specific situations which may arise within your business. Secondly, we run training courses covering various aspects of people-management, to help business owners and managers get the best out of their employees.

For more information please contact me either by email or phone.

Paying for Health & Safety inspections

Proposed regulations forcing businesses to pay for their own health and safety inspections are due to come into effect on 1 October 2012.

The new 'Fee for Intervention' (FFI), will allow the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to recover its costs for carrying out inspections, from businesses which are found to be in breach of health and safety law.

Businesses deemed to be in breach will be forced to pay for the inspector's hourly rates from the initial inspection, regardless of when the breach is detected. The proposed rate for 2012/13 will be £124 an hour.

There has been strong opposition to these proposals, from the Forum of Private Business (FPB), which argues that although it acknowledges the benefit of good health & safety practices, it wants the government to understand the significant financial demands on business at present. The FPB has lobbied the government to request that greater understanding be shown by enforcement officers, that firms face a number of inspections from multiple agencies across all aspects of their business.

A House of Lords committee is currently reviewing the plans, but at the time of going to press, the proposed FFI is still set to come into force in October.

Our advice is to take every possible step to ensure that your business is compliant with health & safety legislation. A review by an independent Health & Safety Consultant (working for you rather than the HSE) is a low-cost, efficient use of time. Very often, the suggested improvements need not involve significant cost – an improvement plan could involve steps such as changing procedures or moving equipment; it doesn’t necessarily involve expensive new purchases.