SSPPT: A suite of tools to manage stress risks at work
SSPPT stands for Stressful Situations Profiling and Planning Tools.
This is a suite of tools for managing stress and mental health risks at work. There are two sets of tools - one for working with individuals and one for working with teams. They can be used proactively, for example to prevent stress and minimize risks affecting a team, or reactively, for example with an individual already struggling because of stress which may or may not be work-related.
There are a number of ways people and organisations typically access the tools:
The Stressful Situations Profle (one of the key tools) will help in any situation where it helps to have a structured profile of how someone or a team sees the situation they are in, particularly with regard to situations or issues causing stress or other negative emotions. Of course, that's extremely useful for stress management with individuals and teams.
The planning tools help with what to do to manage and minimise the risks to wellbeing identified in the Profile. That includes preventive planning, looking at what can be done to tackle the most important situations or issues (causes of stress), and if-then planning, looking at what can be done to manage and reduce stress if or when stressful situations occur. This helps with stress risk assessment and risk management. The tools also include a template to help with evaluation and review of plans. So using both profiling and planning tools helps complete the risk management process and would constitute a 'suitable and sufficient' risk assessment (as required legally).
There are other applications though...
In a therapeutic context, a coach, counsellor or therapist can have an individual complete the Stressful Situations Profile and use that as a starting point for therapeutic conversations. It will help with priortising either personal or work issues for action and the planning tools will help with building plans to reduce stress and start feeling better, which the individual can take personal responsibility for or ownership of.
In situations of organizational change, the tools can help with identifying concerns, what exactly employees are worried and stressed about, and which of those issues are most important to them. This gets concerns about change out in the open can lead to open and constructive conversations to tackle perceived problems and alleviate concerns. This prevents stress for affected employees and minimizes any impacts on business continuity.
The tools can also help with personal and professional development at any stage in someone's career. For example, managers or HR professionals can use the tools to get a good feel about how someone currently feels about their work situation, particularly those issues at work which are leading to unhappiness and dissatisfaction. This can be hugely helpful, leading to conversations about an individual's development needs, which may help retain experienced and skilled employees who may otherwise leave for a perceived better quality of working life elsewhere.
In summary, these tools help with:
So the tools are useful for:
This is a suite of tools for managing stress and mental health risks at work. There are two sets of tools - one for working with individuals and one for working with teams. They can be used proactively, for example to prevent stress and minimize risks affecting a team, or reactively, for example with an individual already struggling because of stress which may or may not be work-related.
There are a number of ways people and organisations typically access the tools:
- Through partnering - for example, the client of an Occupational Health partner may purchase training for all their managers. Use of the tools is taught during courses and all managers attending can then download and use the tools to manage stress risks with their teams and individual team members.
- Through public training - for example, if use of the tools is taught during a course (which may be virtual or online), the trainee may be able to access the tools during or after the course. If you'd like to be made aware of forthcoming training events, please let me know through the via the contact page. I also discuss the tools on LinkedIn so if you'd like to connect there, here's a link to my profile.
- Through licensing - for example, a license could be purchased to enable practitioners to use the tools multiple times with different clients over the course of a year. This may form part of a partnership arrangement if the partner wishes to have their practitioners trained to use the tools with clients.
The Stressful Situations Profle (one of the key tools) will help in any situation where it helps to have a structured profile of how someone or a team sees the situation they are in, particularly with regard to situations or issues causing stress or other negative emotions. Of course, that's extremely useful for stress management with individuals and teams.
The planning tools help with what to do to manage and minimise the risks to wellbeing identified in the Profile. That includes preventive planning, looking at what can be done to tackle the most important situations or issues (causes of stress), and if-then planning, looking at what can be done to manage and reduce stress if or when stressful situations occur. This helps with stress risk assessment and risk management. The tools also include a template to help with evaluation and review of plans. So using both profiling and planning tools helps complete the risk management process and would constitute a 'suitable and sufficient' risk assessment (as required legally).
There are other applications though...
In a therapeutic context, a coach, counsellor or therapist can have an individual complete the Stressful Situations Profile and use that as a starting point for therapeutic conversations. It will help with priortising either personal or work issues for action and the planning tools will help with building plans to reduce stress and start feeling better, which the individual can take personal responsibility for or ownership of.
In situations of organizational change, the tools can help with identifying concerns, what exactly employees are worried and stressed about, and which of those issues are most important to them. This gets concerns about change out in the open can lead to open and constructive conversations to tackle perceived problems and alleviate concerns. This prevents stress for affected employees and minimizes any impacts on business continuity.
The tools can also help with personal and professional development at any stage in someone's career. For example, managers or HR professionals can use the tools to get a good feel about how someone currently feels about their work situation, particularly those issues at work which are leading to unhappiness and dissatisfaction. This can be hugely helpful, leading to conversations about an individual's development needs, which may help retain experienced and skilled employees who may otherwise leave for a perceived better quality of working life elsewhere.
In summary, these tools help with:
- Stress risk assessments and risk management
- Stress management in teams
- Stress management in individuals
- Both preventing stress and reducing stress
- Coaching and therapeutic interventions with stressed individuals
- Return to work following stress-related illness (or other common mental health problems)
- Profiling stressful situations, including work and non-work issues
- Benchmarking stress in organizations, teams and individuals
- Developing stress management plans to minimize risks
- Evaluating and reviewing stress management plans
- Personal and professional development
So the tools are useful for:
- Managers (anyone who manages teams or individuals)
- Individual employees
- Occupational Health (Practitioners and Companies)
- HR and those managing workplace wellbeing
- Health and Safety
- Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals
- Psychologists and other Mental Health Professionals
- Coaches and Therapists
- Wellbeing Consultants and Businesses
- Trainers