ROSELYN HOUSE SCHOOL AND THE RHISE SERVICE

STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE POLICY

Introduction

We are committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of our employees.   We recognise that workplace stress is a health and safety issue and acknowledge the importance of identifying and reducing workplace stressors.

This policy will apply to everyone in the company. The Senior Leadership Team are responsible for implementation and KS Education Limited is responsible for providing the necessary resources.

Definition of Stress

The Health & Safety Executive define stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them”. This makes an important distinction between pressure, which can be a positive state if managed correctly, and stress can be detrimental to health.

Policy

• KS Education Limited will identify all workplace stressors and conduct risk assessments to eliminate stress or control the risks from stress. These risk assessments will be regularly reviewed.  
• KS Education Limited will provide training for all members of the Senior Leadership Team in good management practices.
• KS Education Limited will provide adequate resources to enable managers to implement the Company’s agreed stress management strategy.

Responsibilities

Senior Leadership Team

• Conduct and implement recommendations of risk assessments within their jurisdiction.
• Ensure good communication between management and staff, particularly where there are organisational and procedural changes.
• Ensure staff are fully trained to discharge their duties.
• Ensure staff are provided with meaningful developmental opportunities.
• Monitor workloads to ensure that people are not overloaded.
• Monitor working hours and overtime to ensure that staff are not overworking.
• Attend training as requested in good management practice and health and safety.
• Ensure that bullying and harassment is not tolerated.
• Be vigilant and offer additional support to a member of staff who is experiencing stress outside work (e.g. bereavement or separation).

Human Resources

• Give guidance to managers on the stress policy.
• Help monitor the effectiveness of measures to address stress by collating sickness absence statistics.
• Advise managers and individuals on training requirements.
• Provide continuing support to managers and individuals in a changing environment.
• Wellbeing Programme

Employees

• Raise issues of concern with your Health and Safety Representative or a member of the SLT.

Health & Safety Representatives

• Safety Representatives must be meaningfully consulted on any changes to work practices that could precipitate stress.
• Safety Representatives must be able to consult with members on the issue of stress including conducting any workplace surveys.
• Safety Representatives must be meaningfully involved in the risk assessment process.
• Safety Representatives should be allowed access to collective and anonymous data from HR.
• Safety Representatives should be provided with paid time away from normal duties to complete any training.
• Safety Representatives should conduct joint inspections of the workplace at least every termly to ensure that environmental stressors are properly controlled.

Safety Committee

• The Safety Committee will perform a pivotal role in ensuring that this policy is implemented.

• The Safety Committee will oversee monitoring of the efficacy of the policy and other measures to reduce stress and promote workplace health and safety.

June 2023