UNISON Glasgow City recruited new activists and boosted involvement in the branch life when they took on management’s reluctance to address the issue of work-related stress.
The branch was struggling to get their employer to take the issue seriously, even though reps were reporting increasing cases of members having time off with stress-related illness.
There was also evidence of people working while showing stress symptoms such as overwork, lack of concentration and argumentativeness, together with an increase in bullying.
Yet management argued that there was not sufficient evidence to justify diverting resources to a problem that, it believed, did not exist.
So the branch decided to get that evidence by surveying members using the HSE’s stress management indicator tool.
Of those surveyed, 96% responded. The ‘traffic light’ system was used, with red indicating an area that management needed to address, and in Glasgow, the survey flashed up ‘in the red’ for relationships, roles and change.
One of the biggest issues was bullying – reported by 23% of those who responded.
After being shown the evidence, management had no choice but to take it seriously, setting up focus groups to discuss the results and identify stressors, carrying out stress risk assessments and producing an action plan.
Senior management spoke to managers to address specific issues regarding their behaviour, and provided training where required.
In particular, guidance was given on managing team meetings and ensuring that all views were heard and that nobody felt excluded.
Roles and workloads were reviewed, with a reallocation of duties between teams to ensure a fairer distribution of work.
There was evidence that, because of the confusion caused by organisational change, personal development plans had been overlooked, and managers were instructed to ensure that this was not the case and that they were prioritised.
The branch found the issue was a really powerful recruiting and organising tool, as it was an issue all their members felt strongly about.
On the back of this work, the branch also launched a ‘No to overwork’ campaign, distributing leaflets to members, which helped recruit 16 new activists.
Branch health and safety officer and assistant branch secretary Scott Donohoe explained: “The work we did on stress showed that trade unions can really make a difference – and why it pays to be part of the union.”
European Health and Safety Week takes place from Monday 20 to Sunday 26 October, with National Inspection Day on Wednesday 22 October.
What do you and your branch have planned for that week?
Let us know and we will publicise it as a good example. Just email healthandsafety@unison.co.uk
And don’t forget to order our ‘Cut stress’ stickers and leaflets now.
HSE health and safety webpages on stress, including the stress management indicator tool
Use the UNISON online catalogue to find guides and other materials on stress, including the ‘Cut stress not jobs’ sticker and leaflet, which can also be downloaded as a PDF here.