Getting the balance right - Isle of Man Today

18 Business updateIsle of Man Examiner, May 2005ISSUEMAY focusWORK-LIFE BALANCEDon’t bury yourhead in thesandAlmost everyone gets stressed atsome stage during their workinglives but how widespread is theproblem and how should it betackled? Penny Kay looks at howstress can be better managed.StressdiscriminationSickness absence due to stress iscosting UK business around £5billion a year, according to theHealth and Safety Executive. And aroundhalf a million people in the UK experiencework-related stress at a level they believe ismaking them ill. There are no comparablestatistics available in the Island but it is agrowing area of concern for the Island’semployers, which urgently needs to beaddressed.Lee Harrison, managing director ofconsultancy People Dimensions, explains:‘The HSE has identified six key areas or“risk factors” that can be causes of workrelatedstress. Employer’s need to gain adetailed understanding of what these riskfactors look like in their organisations,identify which areas may be presentingproblems and work with employees andtheir representatives to take action toreduce these problems.’He adds: ‘It is important to have ways tomonitor and manage workload.Organisations need to recognise thatdifferent people are able to cope withdifferent levels of stress and they must putprocedures in place to identify that.’It is a view shared by Anne Weadock,human resources manager at the HiltonHotel complex in Douglas. She says:‘Although it may not specifically be statedin legislation, we, as employers, owe ouremployees a duty of care. There is a duty ofcare to watch stress and the work-lifebalance.’‘It is not rocket science,’ adds DavidNixon, managing director of Merrill LynchInvestment Managers. ‘You need to knowyour team and recognise that people aregoing to get stressed from time to time.’However, he believes that many people whosuffer from stress are in denial of the fact,which makes it more difficult to manage.‘There is a often a problemwith people admitting to theirown stress and it comes into abigger topic which is the stigmaattached to anything which isrelated to mental ill health,’ believesJan Bujko, training strategydevelopment officer at the DTI.‘There is such a stigma attached to itand so much discrimination andignorance that people themselves, evenif they may acknowledge they are havingstress symptoms, are oftenreluctant to own up to itbecause they may feelthat they have failedor are inadequate.’The situation ismade worse becausethere is a perception thatanyone can go to their GP and say they arehaving a hard time at work and can getsigned off for stress, according to ElaineHunter, human resources manager atshipping company, Dorchester Maritime. ‘Itcan be very hard for employers todetermine who is genuinely stressed orpeople who just want some time off.’For those who are genuinely sufferingfrom stress, there is plenty of help available.Stuart Garrett, human resources director atSteam Packet Company, explains that hisbusiness uses specialist occupationalmedical services, which are available in theIsland and he also works in collaborationwith organisations such as the Drug AdviceService and Helpline (DASH), which offersfree advice.The heavy drinking culture in the Island isone of the outcomes of a lack of work-lifebalance and stress, believes Ms Weadock.‘Stress can lead to alcoholism and drugtaking. It is a knock-on effect. Give people awork-life balance and they might not go outand drink heavily on a Saturday and Sundaynight.’TAKE ACTION: Stress is a problem that cannot be ignoredLoss of productivityAbsenteeism from work can bedetrimental to both individuals andbusinesses. Dorchester Maritime’s MsHunter explains: ‘An employer needs toidentify those people who are perhapstrying too hard and are just going to stressthemselves out to the detriment of thebusiness as well. If that person is at a seniorlevel and they are off work for six monthswith stress, that is going to have a bigimpact on the business.’Ms Weadock adds: ‘You can cost theimpact to business on the productivity lostas opposed to the levels of absenteeismbecause people are not owning up to beingstressed. They are coming into work buttheir productivity is lower. The cost ofaccidents at work is around £5bn per yearin the UK because people are too tired andworking too many hours.’There is a perilous cultural change, whichis turning people into 24 hour, seven days aweek workers, believes Mr Nixon. ‘Peoplehave mobile phones and laptops andwhichever way you turn now you arecontactable. It is creating this downwardpressure on everyone and additional stress.Everyone thinks they need to stay until10pm at night because that is what the bossdoes.‘The culture change has to come from thetop to say enough is enough. We needquality work. There is a big difference instaying in the office for 70 hours a week andbeing effective. Sometimes you do need towork until 10pm, where necessary, but itshouldn’t be turned into the norm.’TURN TO PAGE 27