conference bites

by Wendy Moore

Tackling the root causes of stress in the workplace is the key step towards reducing the country's stress burden, speakers agreed at the 7th international conference of the International Stress Management Association in July 2001.

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The conference was opened by ISMA president, Professor Cary Cooper, who argued that Britain had become more 'Americanised' than anywhere else in Europe, except Ireland. Read what he had to say in our September 2001 news.

Here we outline the main messages of the key speakers.

words of calm

Insecurity and uncertainty are a reality of modern working life, according to John Staley, who works as an industrial chaplain with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

Most people are now prey to the tensions of living in one place, working in another and taking leisure in a third, said Mr Staley, who runs AstraZeneca's CALM programme, which aims to alleviate staff stress. Much of our lives are subject to 'rainbow chasing', he told the conference. We go to bed, but not to sleep; eat food but not to satisfy our appetites; take medicine but do not improve our health; live in beautiful houses which are not happy homes; and buy luxuries which do not bring us contentment, he argued.

'Lots of people are not mentally ill but are still not happy,' he said. 'It is possible to be highly successful, yet fail as a human being.' Mr Staley said he spoke from experience. When he worked as a parish vicar he almost lost his wife and family, alienated his congregation and gave up all interest in outside pursuits through working long hours for the church, he said. It was only when a friend pointed out what was happening he came to his senses and restored balance to his life.

His CALM programme was aimed at helping others avoid the same mistakes by offering stress 'MOTs' and confidential counselling.

most Europeans under stress

Most Europeans are working in stressful conditions, according to one of Europe's most experienced stress experts.

More than a quarter (28%) of the European workforce complain of stress, said Dr Lennart Levi, Emeritus Professor of Psychosocial Medicine at the Karolinksa Institute, Sweden. He was citing the third survey on working conditions published by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in 2001.

Dr Levi blamed stress on people working either at very high speed or to tight deadlines. But as research showed 56% in Europe worked at high speeds and 60% to tight deadlines, this meant the majority of Europeans were victims of stressful working conditions.

Professor Levi, who founded the Karolinksa department of stress research more than 40 years ago, was a friend of the late Hans Selye, the Austrian scientist who first coined the term stress in 1936 after experiments on rats. Although now retired Dr Levi has recently written the European Commission's Guidance on Work-Related Stress, designed as a template for all EU countries.

He told the conference: 'If you have a pebble in your shoe and the pebble is hurting your foot, I can offer you tai chi, or cognitive behavioural therapy or occupational restructuring. Or you can take the pebble out of your shoe.'

help and info

European survey on working time and work-life balance (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2005)
European Foundation website at www.eurofound.ie/transversal/eswt/index.htm

Ten Years of Working Conditions in the European Union, European Foundation's third European survey on working conditions (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2001)
European Foundation website at www.eurofound.eu.int/ewco/3wc/3wcindex.htm.

Spice of Life or Kiss of Death: Guidance of work-related stress (European Union, 1999)
European Union website at http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/publications/2002/ke4502361_en.html.

turn on, switch off

Television is the most popular escape route from stress, according to research by London's Centre for Stress Management.

A total 37% of people say they watch television to relieve stress, according to the research in 2000 for the Centre for Stress Management. The next most popular stress reliever was socialising (34%), followed by exercise (30%). Only 4% plumped for medication, said the centre's director, Professor Stephen Palmer.

Younger people – up to 25 – and older people – over 65 – favoured television most as a stressbuster. Those aged 20 to 35 used walking as a means of tackling stress, while socialising was the favourite relaxation option for those aged 36 to 64.

Dr Palmer's research showed that work was the biggest cause of stress. A total 60% named work as their main stressor, while 38% picked families, 35% money, and 30% were equally divided between relationships and lack of time.

help and info

Centre for Stress Management
www.managingstress.com

partners unite

TUC General Secretary John Monks called for employers and unions to work in partnership to reduce stress in the workplace, rather than join the 'blame race' over the issue.

He told the conference: 'Genuine partnership transforms workplaces and working conditions and delivers major improvements in health at work, especially by controlling the causes of workplace stress. The results of partnership are clear – fewer accidents, better working relationships and improved productivity. It's a recipe for success and a recipe for reducing stress.'

Trade unions wanted to be part of the solution towards resolving stress, not part of the problem, Mr Monks said. 'Good management is the solution, and good management means working in partnership with unions,' he added.

help and info

Tackling the causes of workplace stress an introduction to the Organisational Stress Measure (OSM) by the Health Development Agency (2000)
A 12 page document that can be ordered by telephone on 08701 555455 or by e-mail via the website.
www.dh.gov.uk

(September 2001, resources updated April 2005)