Effective rehabilitation after work-related stress
Jo Rick and Fiona Neathey  Work-related stress is a perennial concern for employers and employees. HSE figures show that over the last six years, cases have almost doubled. Stress accounted for 13.4 million working days lost last year, and over half a million people said they were affected by stress at work.
‘Stress’ on a sick note, however, gives the employer no indication of the specific nature of the problem, nor the likely period of absence or appropriate rehabilitation.
Employers adopt a range of approaches to rehabilitation of workers absent due to work-related stress; there is no single model of best practice. Many aspects of general rehabilitation approaches are appropriate for use in cases of work-related stress, and many organisations feel their policies for dealing with general occupational illness are flexible enough to deal with work-related stress. However, there are distinctive features of this kind of absence requiring special consideration.
Elements of best practice in dealing with absence due to work-related stress:
- written policies or guidelines
- effective procedures for overseeing the rehabilitation process
- trained line managers
- early contact with the employee
- early health assessment
- having a rehabilitation plan agreed by all stakeholders, but particularly the employee
- providing flexible return-to work options.
The way in which these practices are implemented and managed is an important factor in effective rehabilitation, and is more important than for other occupational illnesses.
Recognising symptoms of work-related stress is more difficult than identifying other, more obvious illnesses or injuries. Trained managers can identify the signs of stress, and implement early intervention. Work-related stress has no general recovery period, and the organisation’s reaction can, in some cases, influence the prognosis and recovery time. As well as reacting at the right time and in the right way, accurate assessment of the problem and of the individual's needs is essential.
It is also important to provide a non-stressful and supportive environment for the employee to return to, with demands they can cope with (underload may be as harmful as overload), and to allow the employee control over their return to work. Recovery from stress-related illness is likely to be less predictable and less certain than from other occupational illnesses. Timescales and possible duties should be flexible, and should be reviewed regularly. Because the causes of stress can change over time, regular return-to-work reviews also help, for example, in cases where the original causes of work-related stress may have simply been replaced by new ones.
Best Practice in Rehabilitating Employees Following Absence Due to Work-Related Stress,
Thomson L, Rick J, Neathey F, HSE, July 2003.
|
