The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work (Health and Safety Executive HSE)

Transcription

1 Donna Phillips MICHT MGPBT (noun) The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work (Health and Safety Executive HSE) A situation where demand on a person exceeds that person s resources or ability to cope (The Stress Management Society) 1

2 Generally stress in the workplace is responsible for 25% of sickness absence The call centre industry has the highest instances of stress of any sector 75% of all illnesses could be caused by stress if it is prolonged and excessive It is linked to heart disease, diabetes some cancers and other serious health conditions, It suppresses the immune system and people become more susceptible to illness including colds, flu, aching muscles, headaches and stomach problems. If not checked it can become highly contagious! Increased sickness absence Increase in staff turnover Low morale and energy levels Poor performance Increase in complaints and grievances Disputes and disaffection in the group 2

3 Stress levels from sample surveys conducted over the past 6 months Employees were asked to describe their current level of stress on a scale of 1 to 5 (very low, low, medium, high or very high) All surveys were treated anonymously On average 33.6% of employees reported suffering from Very high or high stress levels TV Channel 32% Police Authority 31% Network supplier 50% Finance provider 30% Insurance provider 38% Outsource company 30% Government dept 24% Tired, achy, stressed Mentally tired shattered Tired, stress, de-motivated Tired, stressed, unappreciated Very stressed Exhausted! Achy & very tired Head ready to explode, tired and stressed Drifting between passive and explosive tired & worn out, calls have been in a queue all day, you don t get a chance to relax before next call Stressed and low energy levels Stressed high workload Scrutinised fractured Undervalued 3

4 Two weeks today Wednesday 4 th November 09 Stressing the Positives All you need to know about stressing the positives Form a group of to agents to feedback and recommend initiatives to reduce stress And implement them 4

5 Create a chill out space, a quite zone where staff can sit quietly on their breaks, unwind or lose themselves in a book Start a take one leave one library or book club Introduce massage on to the site Reduce the seesaw peak and trough energy levels and mood swings created with high sugar and caffeine drinks Replace free vend coffee machines with fruit or fruit juices 5

6 Great physical exercise Team building exercise Clears the mind - clarity Away from their desks Socialising The solution to reducing absence due to stress is about being pro active Finding out what the stress levels are today can mean reducing the absence levels tomorrow. Provide targeted solution to reducing the stress levels before they become sickness levels Ensure that as an organisation you are not contributing to them! 6

7 Upper Limb Disorders (ULD s) Sometimes referred to as Work related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULD s) RSI Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) Muscular skeletal disorders (MSD s) Affect soft tissues (tendons, muscles, nerves and blood vessels) of hands, wrist, arm and shoulders Gradual onset of symptoms Symptoms - prolonged fatigue, cramp, loss of ability, joint restriction, swollen soft tissue, numbness and pain Onset - hours to years Recovery - weeks to years, possibly never 7

8 Upper Limb Disorders (ULD s) Causes Prolonged repetition without adequate recovery time Awkward posture: fixed/constrained body position overloaded muscles/joints static loading Static loading restricts blood flow to the muscles and tendons resulting in poor recovery and metabolic waste removal. Muscles held in static postures fatigue very quickly (Rospa) 8

9 On average 65% - 85% of employees questioned suffered with some form of muscular skeletal problem On average 45% of these claimed it affected their level of work The figures are much higher 85% -100% suffering with muscular tightness Of these on average 50% claimed it was affecting their levels of work 9

10 Tired, like I ve done a physical job even though it s an office job Very tired, sometimes headache, sore neck and upper back. Fed up of sitting down! Tired, shoulders and neck ache, left shoulder painful Quite stiff legs from sitting all day neck a little stiff I suffer from lower back pain so it depends on the seat I m sitting at how my body feels at the end of the day Back against the back of the chair Feet - flat on the floor Knees, hips and elbows at right angles Shoulders elbows and hips in line Wrists - Shake them out flat Fingers 3 between back of knee and edge of seat Arms - Sweep for constant and occasional use Eyes - check distance and height of screen legs - extended swing Adjust workstation as required 10