Stress Management Standards or a Quality of Working Life Act ?

Simon Pickvance

Institute for Employment Rights

Outline

• What is the current state of the psychosocial work environment ?

• Will the Stress Management Standards work ?

• What is stress anyway

• Existing law relating to stress

• Proposals for law

• A QWLA

HSE Psychosocial WE survey

• Very little change over 4 years (2004-7)

• 14% extremely stressed

• No changes expected as a result of policy yet (18 mo delay)

• ? Changes in management and peer support

• Asks about anger and fear

European trends

• Rapid trends: computers

• Slow deterioration: intensity, autonomy, learning new things, satisfaction

• Some areas of improvement: WLB, discrimination, hours, health and safety

• Differing country strategies demonstrate there is no inevitability about direction of change

Stress Management Standards

• Demands, • Control, • Support• Relationships• Role, • Change

Audit based

Standard questionnaires

National surveys

Priority areas chosen:• Health, • Education,• Finance, • Public admin

What is stress ?

• Does it (still) exist ?

• Bad stress/good stress

• Silent stress

• Social, psychological, physical

• Knowing, thinking, feeling

• Why now ?– An attempt to communicate ?

What people say about stress at work

• Fear• Anger• Frustration• Care and social bond

– Tend and – befriend

• Lack of ‘play’

• Meaning• Status

• Fairness

• Security

• Influence and control

• Care

• Freedom of association

• Negotiated rewards, legal minimum procedures

• Vulnerable workers• Contracts, training• Freedom from

harassment • Consultation/Co-

determination rules• FWA, Rehabilitation• Time-off• Prevention services• Representation rights• Mediation

A QWLA ?

Has to tackle

• Fairness – procedural, distributive

• Security – job security, physical security

• Influence and control

• Care: support, recognition of needs

• Freedom of association at work

Existing legislation

• Working time• Provision of Work Equipment • Pregnancy and Work• Management of Health and Safety at Work• DSE Regs• Dispute resolution• Equal treatment/Discrimination legislation• Harassment Act

(proposals: Temporary Workers, etc., Employment law: Role of ACAS)

Previous proposals for law

• Dignity at Work Bill• Right to Learn• Right to Flexible Working Arrangements• Duty of care• Extending ICE• Equal rights for all (migrant, agency, home

–workers)• Trade Union Freedom Bill

A Quality of Working Life Act

• Duty of Care– Employers’ duties– Attention to employees’ work-life balance, health,

rehabilitation

• Freedom from harassment and insecurity (fear)• Control - codetermination• Fairness• Rights to associate, be represented, mediate• Inspection

Weighing up our options

• What are the benefits of using health arguments?

• Should we merge QWL with Trade Union Freedom demands ?

• Is it better to aim for small changes in several sets of regulations ?

• What help might we get from EU legislation ?