Stressed employees stressing you out?

Looking after your employees mental health should be of utmost importance. Your workforce is arguably your most valuable asset and therefore, like any other vital business tool, it should be looked after and kept in peak condition. Mental health issues are prevalent in the workplace, with one in six employees experiencing at least one mental health disorder at any given time. The cost of mental ill health to the UK economy is a massive £26bn each year in lost time through sickness absence, reduced productivity at work and staff turnover. Having stressed employees is not good for businesses as it has damaging knock-on effects such as reduced motivation and productivity, which can have a direct impact on customer service levels and satisfaction. Spotting the signs and symptoms of stress and mental health issues in employees can be difficult, the following may indicate that an employee is suffering from a mental health issue: Psychological symptoms – confusion, indecision, aggression, low mood/mood swings, being tearful, low self-confidence, lack of motivation, deterioration in memory. Physical symptoms – change in movement (for example, moving more slowly than usual), change in weight/appetite, unexplained aches and pains. Behavioural/social signs – appearing nervous, change in eating habits, change in attendance, neglecting work, withdrawing from social media channels, loss of interest in appearance, deterioration of performance at work, fatigue. Raising your concern with an employee about the state of their mental health can be a difficult conversation to have. With better understanding of these conditions and their effects, along with having a positive, supportive workplace culture, managers can feel comfortable talking to employees about their situation and supporting them in doing their job. CLICK HERE for Stress Essentials online Elearning course for your employees Are you accident prone? Everyone makes mistakes. Most are quite minor and inconsequential, but a few will lead to a major loss or accident. In a critical task the magnitude of the error does not have to be large for a dramatic outcome. It could be as simple as saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’ during a two-person operation. It is worth remembering that human performance does not only relate to the safety aspects of our work. Possible explanation as to why humans make mistakes include: time pressure; distractions/interruptions; fatigue/high workload; inexperience/lack of knowledge; complacency poor communications; stress; lack of assertiveness (turning a blind eye); resource planning; lack of awareness; lack of teamwork; and norms (substandard condition acceptance). So does being accident prone exisit? Experts would say not but a consequence of one or many of the above indicators of why accidents occur. Check out our Online Risk Assessment Course HERE

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