The chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), Bill Callaghan, has urged the leaders of the UK's top 350 companies to participate in the HSC's stress study.
As part of the consultation on Management Standards for stress, Mr Callaghan has written to the bosses asking them to give their views on how to prevent sickness absence caused by work-related stress.
"We're not about eliminating all stress or pressure in the workplace. Rather we want to help employers recognise and manage the risks sensibly," Mr Callaghan stated.
"We believe the Management Standards can help employers tackle work-related stress at source and reduce sickness absence caused by work-related stress. The Standards have been well-received so far but we need to gather more views."
The Management Standards are clear and practical statements of good management practice, which will enable employers to gauge stress levels, identify causes and work with employees to resolve any issues.
They are not new regulations but rather a "non-legislative yardstick" to help organisations meet their existing duty of care and assess the risks of work-related stress.
Those wishing to contribute to the debate, including employees, can do so online via the HSE website. |
