Rlchard Pettlnger

58 STRESS MANAGEMENT
there is no further news,’’ than: ‘‘There are no plans for lay-offs at present.’’ This is universally known and understood to be dishonest.

Communications should be face to face and fully participative, rein- forced with written summaries stating what is to happen, to whom, when, where, and why. This attitude and approach provides an excel- lent basis for the whole of the human side of management. It also acknowledges the legitimate presence of concerns and anxieties, and provides an acceptable open and ethical basis for this part of their management.

Senior managers who deny the value of this approach either work in isolation from their own frontline activities and corporate support functions, or else fail to adopt it because they are afraid that their own feelings will be affronted.

The extent and commitment to this approach also underpins and reinforces the broader corporate approach to respect and value for staff, and the management of stress in particular. As well as delivering precise, honest, and understandable information to those who require it, the prevailing corporate ethic is reinforced.