A number of recent research reports have highlighted the important role that line managers play in managing stress at work.

Research published jointly by the CIPD and the Health & Safety Executive reveals that management style is in the top-three causes of work-related stress, while research from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) suggests that introducing simple steps like giving positive feedback, allowing flexible working and giving days off as a reward, could cut the impact of employee stress by more than 30%. NICE also want line managers to help improve morale by providing more support and encouragement to their employees.

Not surprisingly, the impact of stress in the workplace has increased in the last year as a result of the tougher economic climate.  The research highlights the high costs to businesses of work-related stress.

• About 1 in 6 people say they find their work either very or extremely stressful
• Work-related stress accounts for over 30% of all new incidents of ill health. 
• The CIPD 2008 Absence Management survey found stress to be the leading cause of long-term absence in non-manual workers. 
• Each case of stress, anxiety or depression leads to an average of 30.2 working days lost. 
• Almost 14 million working days a year are lost to stress, depression and anxiety at a total cost to UK plc of more than £28bn.
• Nearly a third of organisations reported an increase in stress-related absence in the last 12 months. 
• Both the CIPD/ HSE and NICE research highlights the important role that line managers play in creating, identifying and alleviating stress in their teams.

The HSE has published a set of national Management Standards for work-related stress which provide guidance on best practice for employers.  The overall aim of these standards is to bring about a reduction in the number of employees who go off sick or who cannot perform well at work because of stress. 

Full details of the Management Standards can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards.

The researchers have also produced a management competency framework for preventing and reducing stress at work.  More details are available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/health/stress/_lnstrswrk.htm.