Your Covid Recovery.

If you’ve had coronavirus, you may still be experiencing some symptoms. Find out how the new Your Covid Recovery website can help click HERE for help and advise from the NHS.

UNISON support over Christmas

UNISONDirect opening times 

Monday to Friday: 6 am-midnight

• Saturday: 10 am-4 pm
• Sunday: Closed

Christmas and New Year opening hours:

Monday 23 December: Normal hours, as above

Christmas Eve: 6am to 3pm

Christmas Day and Boxing Day: Closed

27 to 30 December: Normal hours, as above

New Year’s Eve: 6am to 3pm

New Year’s Day: Closed

PENSIONS: Defend local government pensions

The Government is currently consulting on plans to allow universities and colleges in England to opt out of offering the local government pension scheme (LGPS) to new non- teaching staff.

The proposal would:

• Create a two-tier workforce with new starters offered inferior pensions;
• Disproportionately affect women and the lower paid;
• Threaten the future sustainability of the whole scheme.

This attack on pension rights is the thin end of the wedge – if these proposals are enacted, the Government won’t stop there. It is vital that we take action.

UNISON has set up a campaign website which explains more about the situation and encourages branches and members to take a range of actions.

Please use the following links:

1. Find out more about the issue – and share our film Take action
2. Email your MP to defend the LGPS
3. The consultation closes on 31 July: make your views heard – download template responses via the resources section
4. Are you in the LGPS? Respond to the government consultation

Positive mental health at work

Acas Senior Adviser Abigail Hirshman talks about the Acas strategy for positive mental health at work. The Government's Department of Health advises that one in four of us will experience mental ill health at some point in our lives. It is therefore important that employers and their staff take steps to promote positive mental health and support those experiencing mental ill health For more information on Mental health in the workplace and to book a place on our training program. http://www.acas.org.uk/mentalhealth

Get help with winter fuel bills

UNISON members living on a low income constantly struggle to make ends meet – and this can be particularly acute in the winter when the cost of heating homes rises as the outside temperature falls.

But it’s not all bad news – help IS available. The union’s welfare charity There for You has once more set up a limited fund to help members on low incomes towards the cost of their winter fuel bill through a one-off payment of £60.

The process is very similar to previous years and an amount of money has been ring-fenced to support this initiative. However, once it’s gone it’s gone! 

So don’t miss out. Apply early and send your form and supporting paperwork in as soon as possible. All the information you need can be found below. Alternatively, contact UNISON Direct on 0800 0857 857 for a form to be sent to you. 

Just one more thing: please don’t keep details of this grant a secret. Help us to help even more members and let your work colleagues know that help is at hand. There will be many, like you, worrying about how they will cope this winter. 

Completed applications need to be sent to There for You, (WFG) UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road, London, NW1 2AY by Friday 15 February 2019 at the latest.

Winter Fuel Grant application form

Winter Fuel Grant Q&A

Workplace stress top 10 sources

1. 
   

UK bosses are risking workforce stress burnout

With April marking Stress Awareness Month, a new report has found UK businesses are in danger of having their workforces experience burnout, as despite a huge number feeling stressed at work, few bosses are doing anything to help.

For those British adults in employment, work is by far the most common cause of stress (59 per cent). Yet almost one in two (45 per cent) of British businesses do not offer anything to help alleviate this, according to a study of 3,000 UK workers carried out by Perkbox, the UK’s fastest growing employee benefits platform, as part of the 2018 UK Workplace Stress Report.

This is despite the fact that one in four (25 per cent) struggle to be as productive at work when stressed, and almost the same number find themselves disengaged with work as a result. In fact, at least one in 10 (10 per cent) of us will call in sick due to stress, while seven per cent will look for a new job.

Check out the full story at https://www.fmj.co.uk/perkbox-study-reveals-uk-bosses-risking-workforce-stress-burnout/

Stress Awareness Month

Stress Awareness Month takes place every April and has since it first launched in 1992. Throughout this period of time, teams of experts aim to increase public awareness about stress. This includes highlighting the causes of stress, the negative effects stress can have on the mind and body, and how to relieve stress.

Most people will experience stress at some point in their life, but constant or extreme stress is bad for both the mind and body. Stress can be caused by a sudden traumatic event or even just the expectations of daily life.

There are many ways to minimize stress such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, talking about your feelings, and dedicating time to relaxing. If you are suffering from stress, you can find help and resources on the internet, or you can seek advice from a healthcare professional.

If left unchecked, stress can be deadly — in fact, stress is often referred to as the “silent killer” because although its effects are not immediately apparent, it can lead to a number of serious health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease. This is why Stress Awareness Month is important — it informs people about stress and provides them with the tools and resources to manage it.

Useful websites and organisations

• NHS mood self-assessment quiz
• Stressbusting website – for information about stress and techniques for coping
• The Be Mindful website – for guidance on mindfulness
• Mind’s Infoline (0300 123 3393/info@mind.org.uk) – for information on support groups and mental health services in your local area
• Health Assured’s 4 week programme on sleep

Health & Safety Spot Light.

Strain on employees at work is seen to be a major cause of mental health issues— a government-commissioned report shows that mental health is costing the UK economy almost £100 billion a year and figures show that around 300,000 people leave jobs due to mental health issues.

If work place stress is causing an issue you can approach your Unison representatives/Health & Safety representative in confidence to see if the issue can be dealt with through a discussion with the employer or to offer support.

Dealing with stress in the workplace

According to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), in 2015/16 over 480,000 people in the UK reported that work-related stress was making them ill. This amounts to nearly 40% of all work-related illness.

Yet many employees are reluctant to talk about stress at work. There is still a stigma attached to stress and people still think they will be seen as weak if they admit they are struggling. But stress is not a weakness, and can affect anyone at any level of an organisation.

It is therefore important that an employer takes steps to tackle the work-related causes of stress in its organisation and encourages staff to seek help at the earliest opportunity if they begin to experience stress.

Content

• What is stress?
• What causes stress?
• Why should employers try to reduce the causes of stress at work?
• Taking steps to reduce work-related stress
• Spotting when staff may be experiencing stress
• Talking to a team member who may be experiencing stress
• Supporting a team member experiencing stress
• Monitoring the situation

What is stress?

Stress is defined as the 'adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them'. Most staff benefit from a certain amount of pressure in their work. It can keep them motivated and give a sense of ambition. However, when there is too much pressure placed on them, they can become overloaded. Stress can affect the health of staff, reduce their productivity and lead to performance issues.

Stress is not an illness, but the psychological impact can lead to conditions such as anxiety and depression. Stress, anxiety and depression can also increase the risk of conditions like heart disease, back pain, gastrointestinal illnesses or skin conditions.

What causes stress?

There can be a variety of causes of stress. For example, financial problems, difficulties in personal relationships or moving house can all cause stress. Work can also cause stress. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) has identified the six primary causes of work-related stress to be:

• The demands of the job - staff can become overloaded if they cannot cope with the amount of work or type of work they are asked to do
• Amount of control over work - staff can feel disaffected and perform poorly if they have no say over how and when they do their work
• Support from managers and colleagues - levels of sickness absence often rise if staff feel they cannot talk to managers about issues troubling them
• Relationships at work - a failure to build relationships based on good behaviour and trust can lead to problems related to discipline, grievances and bullying
• How a role fits within the organisation - staff will feel anxious about their work and the organisation if they don't know what is expected of them and/or understand how their work fits into the objectives of the organisation
• Change and how it is managed - change needs to be managed effectively or it can lead to huge uncertainty and insecurity.

Why should employers try to reduce the causes of stress at work?

Firstly, reducing work-related stress can be hugely beneficial to an employer:

• Making staff healthier and happier at work
• Improving performance and making staff more productive
• Reducing absence levels
• Reducing workplace disputes
• Making the organisation more attractive to job seekers

Secondly, an employer has a legal obligation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees. As part of this, an employer must conduct risk assessments for work-related stress and take actions to prevent staff from experiencing a stress-related illness because of their work.

For more information on how to conduct a risk assessment, go to www.hse.gov.uk/stress.

Taking steps to reduce work-related stress

If a risk assessment identifies areas where the organisation is performing poorly, an employer should work with its staff to agree realistic and practical ways to tackle it.

Any existing consultation and/or negotiating arrangements should be followed so that staff and/or their representatives can contribute their views.

An employer should then develop an action plan that includes:

• what the problem is
• how it was identified
• the proposed solution/s
• actions to be taken to achieve the solution/s
• dates by which each action should be achieved
• how staff will be kept informed on progress
• a date to review the plan and see if it has achieved its aim.

Once solutions have been implemented, the review should check that agreed actions have been done and evaluate how effective these have been. The views of staff, and data collected on employee turnover, sickness absence and productivity, can help compare the organisation against how it was before the action plan was implemented.

An employer will then need to consider what, if any, further action is needed.

Spotting when staff may be experiencing stress

While identifying work-related risks and taking preventative measures should help minimise stress for most staff, it may still affect some team members due to issues inside or outside of the workplace. Managers should be prepared to help and support a team member experiencing stress.

Although training on stress can be very useful, a manager should not be expected to be an expert.

It is important to never make assumptions, but signs that a team member may be stressed include:

• changes in the person's usual behaviour, mood or how they interact with colleagues
• changes in the standard of their work or focus on tasks
• appearing tired, anxious or withdrawn and reduced interest in tasks they previously enjoyed
• changes in appetite and/or increase in smoking and drinking alcohol
• an increase in sickness absences and/or turning up late to work.

Talking to a team member who may be experiencing stress

Where a manager thinks a team member may be experiencing stress, they should approach the matter in the same way set out in the guidance on Managing staff experiencing mental ill health. This is because without talking to the team member, it is impossible to know what is affecting them and therefore a consistent approach should be taken. 

Additionally, organisations should encourage staff to talk to their manager if they think they are becoming unwell. Creating a working environment that proactively supports staff who become unwell will make it easier for staff to tell their manager if they are experiencing stress.

For more information on how to do this, go to Promoting positive mental health in the workplace.

If a team member does approach their manager to advise they are experiencing stress, the manager should:

• move the conversation to a private space, where they will not be disturbed (if not already somewhere appropriate)
• thank the team member for coming to them and letting them know
• be patient and allow them as much time as they need to talk about it
• remain focused on what they say
• be open minded
• try to identify what the cause is
• think about potential solutions.

If the cause of stress relates to their relationship with their manager, or other team members, it may be beneficial to involve Human Resources, if the organisation has one, or a more senior manager and allow the team member to have a companion (such as a work colleague or trade union representative) at any meetings.

Supporting a team member experiencing stress

Where it is possible to identify a work-related problem, a manager (in discussion with the team member) should consider what support or changes would rectify the situation. They could be temporary or permanent.

Usually small, simple changes to working arrangements or responsibilities will help ease pressures affecting the team member.

It may take a number of informal meetings with the team member to agree the best way forward. Some changes may also require authorisation from senior management, HR or the owner of the business. A manager should explain if they believe a potential change may require authorisation and when an answer should be received. If authorisation is refused, a manager should clearly explain the reasons why this was not practicable and try to find an alternative solution.

If changes are agreed and made, a manager should also agree with the team member what their work colleagues will be told.

Even if the cause of stress may not be work-related, changes to the team member's working arrangements may help reduce some of the pressure they are experiencing. For example, temporarily changing their working hours may reduce stress caused by caring responsibilities for an ill-relative.

Monitoring the situation

A manager should regularly check on how a team member experiencing stress is feeling and whether any changes in place are still needed and/or working as required. This could be through planned one-to-one meetings or through informal chats in the workplace.

Even once the team member is able to resume their normal working arrangements, their manager should continue to monitor their health and offer support where necessary.

Acas training and support

We can visit your organisation to help you understand what needs to be done to address a range of issues related to stress management and the identification of critical issues in your workplace and then work with you to develop practical solutions. Find out more from our Workshops, projects and business solutionspage.

We also offer training courses to help managers in your organisation.

View course details and availability.

• Stress in the workplace.
• Managing absence in the workplace.
• Improving supervisor skills.
• Bullying and harassment in the workplace.
• Having difficult conversations.
• Mental health awareness for employers.