Stress Management Best Practice Checklist Tool for Managers and Support Professionals

 Recently, I developed a Stress Management Best Practice Checklist Tool, which you can download from my website.

This resource, which can be used by managers and those who support them, is designed to help identify current gaps in stress management skills and knowledge. Development interventions such as management training and coaching can help plug these gaps and move the organization towards best practice in managing stress risks at work.

You can use the checklist tool in a number of important ways:

• To raise awareness of best practice in managing work-related stress
• To identify current gaps in management skills and knowledge
• To facilitate discussion with colleagues around the issues involved
• To help you/managers think about and prioritize actions that may be required to
• plug any gaps identified
• To clarify what resources and support (internal and external) may be required to enable managers better tackle stress problems
• To help generate ideas about quick wins and longer-term strategies

The checklist tool looks at four key areas of management practice:

1. Awareness – questions highlighting the level of management awareness about work-related stress and the associated risks
2. Preventing stress – questions related to management actions, skills and behaviours known to help prevent stress at work
3. Monitoring stress – questions related to actions that enable early identification of stress problems at work
4. Responding to stress problems – questions related to how managers respond once stress problems have been identified

The tool includes guidance notes both for line managers and for support professionals (who advise and support managers dealing with stress issues). There is also advice around next steps; making positive changes to improve management practice.

A second version of the tool is available which 'maps' the questions to the UK Health and Safety Excutive (HSE) Management Standards. These Standards cover the known risk factors for work-related stress and provide guidance for organizations on how to assess and manage such risks.