Rehabilitation and support for individuals suffering from stress

Union reps can also get their employer to provide help for individual members on how to cope with stress and associated conditions. Public services union UNISON says that there is a lot that managers can do to support staff, such as ensuring they are not penalised for feeling the effect of too much pressure. But it warns:

“Many employers seek to support workers who are suffering from stress-related illness by introducing stress intervention programmes. These are usually either ineffectual or deal with the individual’s response to stress rather than the stress itself. Lunchtime yoga or meditation classes may be enjoyable, but they are not going to reduce workloads or pressure. There is also no evidence that stress intervention techniques have any lasting effect on the individual’s ability to cope with stress. The provision of support measures such as counselling, on their own, are not enough.”

The union advises that in addition, employers should ensure that line managers provide support where problems have developed and, where necessary, refer the person on for further help.

Often members who do suffer a stress-related illness are signed off from work for a long period, do not come back to work or are offered early retirement. With support, and changes to the job, most stress-related illnesses are curable and there is no reason why a worker should not be able to return to work.

More importantly, the employer needs proper arrangements to support workers who are made ill through stress and who are seeking to return to work. This can include arrangements for an early return-to-work interview, allowing people to return to work on a phased or gradual basis with reduced responsibilities, or part-time working until the person feels confident to return to their full duties.

The TUC wants employers to have comprehensive rehabilitation plans for all work-related health issues, so that workers returning to work after prolonged sickness absence can be reintegrated properly.

Many employers provide support to staff through Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), which offer helplines, counselling and sickness absence monitoring. Unions and others have raised concerns about EAPs, in particular about the lack of fixed standards for EAP providers, and the qualifications and training of counsellors. The Court of Appeal ruling in Sutherland v Hatton (see Chapter 3) emphasised the need for counselling services.

A number of unions have engaged with providers to negotiate improvements. For example, the journalists’ union NUJ has linked up with the NHS to provide counselling to members affected by stress and has found that many prefer to use this independent service rather than relying on one arranged by the employer.

Other unions provide confidential help lines for members suffering from stress at work. For example, the public and commercial services union PCS offers a stress, counselling and health advice helpline for its members

www.pcs.org.uk/en/resources/health_and_safety/guide_to_tackling_stress.cfm