Rlchard Pettlnger

RESPONSIBILITIES

Effective stress management brings direct obligations and responsibili- ties, and these also have a cost. Organizations and their managers are going to be increasingly required to invest time, financial resources, and expertise in creating a quality of working life and environment that acknowledges the potential for stress. This requires recognizing where the potential for physical and psychological stress lies, and taking active steps in workplace, occupation and work design so that it is eliminated as far as possible, or else kept to a minimum. If this is not possible, organizations and their managers must be prepared to accept that they

4 STRESS MANAGEMENT
will face problems of absenteeism, illness, injury, and burnout as a result.

It is also essential to create managerial and supervisory styles that ensure that problems and issues are raised and dealt with early, rather than being allowed to fester (which is in itself stressful). The funda- mental approach has to be based on openness, honesty, and integrity. It is essential that a mutual respect and value between staff and managers is created and developed. This is vital, and possible, regardless of whether the organization is hierarchical, bureaucratic, authoritarian, participative or democratic.

A general climate of mutual confidence is also required. This enables all those involved to talk openly about problems and issues so that they can be raised at whatever stage they become apparent, and from whatever source. This includes providing the capacity and willingness to address serious problems – especially those raised by ‘‘whistle-blowers.’’

An active management engagement is required in recognizing the institutional sources, causes, and potential for individual and collective conflict. This means acknowledging that the potential for conflict exists in all human situations, and this includes places of work. Managers are increasingly required to assess their own organizations, those employed, and desired and required ways of working, from the point of view of recognizing the potential for conflict in the particular situation. They are also required to create and develop the conditions in which conflict can be kept to a minimum and resolved quickly when it does break out. See Summary box 1.1 for examples.

INTRODUCTION TO STRESS MANAGEMENT 5
working week of 72 hours (6 x 12 hour shifts as with UK junior hospital doctors). Indeed, some junior hospital doctors in the UK effectively work, or are on-call, the full 168 hours per week.

» Financial services: financial services and investment manage- ment in Japan also adopt these ‘‘long hours’’ cultures. Some big banks require that all their staff arrive before the local senior manager or chief executive and do not leave until he does. Hundreds of staff consequently find themselves sleeping at the office for several days at a time.

» Football: professional footballers in Italy do not work under such pressure, however their only genuinely free time is between the end of matches at approximately 5.00pm on Sundays and bedtime that evening. Every other hour of the week is organized on behalf of the players by the clubs. Serious stress is caused if, for any reason, the players are not allowed out at this time. This is in spite of the fact that extremely high salary levels are paid (up to $400,000 per week in many instances).