Who is responsible for Stress Risk Assessment?
Ultimate responsibility lies with the employer
Ultimately, responsibility for Stress Risk Assessment lies with the employer, who has a duty of care and should be doing what is reasonably practicable to protect employees from stress risks that are foreseeable.
Steering Groups
Dependent on the size of the organisation, it can be very helpful to give a stress management or staff wellbeing steering group responsibility to oversee the stress risk assessment process. The steering group should be representative and should include managers and employee representatives from different parts of the organization as well as relevant support professionals such as a Health and Safety Advisor, HR Manager,
and someone from Occupational Health (if the organisation has that resource).
Managerial responsibility
Managers have important responsibilities for identifying local stress problems and for ongoing Stress Risk Management. Managers are the people on the front line in dealing with stress. They are the people most likely to identify problems early and they are in the best position to do something about it at the time. To exercise this responsibility appropriately, managers require training both to raise awareness and to
improve skills in managing stress risks at work.
Employees have some responsibilities too
Employees have important health and safety responsibilities too to themselves and others to report stress related problems at work when they occur. It’s very important to make employees aware of their own role in managing work related stress. This can be made clear within the organisation’s policy, but the employer needs to use additional communication channels as needed to raise awareness. It also is worth considering training and management briefings for staff.
The role of consultants?
Consultants may be delegated parts of the process, such as providing the technology to run the survey and report back on the results. However, consultants are not responsible for the process. It is down to the organization to make sure the process is followed through: the survey is carried out; results are disseminated widely; action plans are developed and implemented, and; the whole process is adequately evaluated and reviewed.
Please contact us if you need external help with the survey and training for managers or staff.
Ultimately, responsibility for Stress Risk Assessment lies with the employer, who has a duty of care and should be doing what is reasonably practicable to protect employees from stress risks that are foreseeable.
Steering Groups
Dependent on the size of the organisation, it can be very helpful to give a stress management or staff wellbeing steering group responsibility to oversee the stress risk assessment process. The steering group should be representative and should include managers and employee representatives from different parts of the organization as well as relevant support professionals such as a Health and Safety Advisor, HR Manager,
and someone from Occupational Health (if the organisation has that resource).
Managerial responsibility
Managers have important responsibilities for identifying local stress problems and for ongoing Stress Risk Management. Managers are the people on the front line in dealing with stress. They are the people most likely to identify problems early and they are in the best position to do something about it at the time. To exercise this responsibility appropriately, managers require training both to raise awareness and to
improve skills in managing stress risks at work.
Employees have some responsibilities too
Employees have important health and safety responsibilities too to themselves and others to report stress related problems at work when they occur. It’s very important to make employees aware of their own role in managing work related stress. This can be made clear within the organisation’s policy, but the employer needs to use additional communication channels as needed to raise awareness. It also is worth considering training and management briefings for staff.
The role of consultants?
Consultants may be delegated parts of the process, such as providing the technology to run the survey and report back on the results. However, consultants are not responsible for the process. It is down to the organization to make sure the process is followed through: the survey is carried out; results are disseminated widely; action plans are developed and implemented, and; the whole process is adequately evaluated and reviewed.
Please contact us if you need external help with the survey and training for managers or staff.