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Pressure and Stress

   Date: 10.02.2016     Last updated: 04.11.2016 at 16.09
   A guide to recognising and managing pressure and stress.

   We all need pressure to motivate us; it is a normal part of daily life.
   Most people thrive on the right amount of pressure, but when things get
   too much and we start to struggle, we can experience stress.

   Stress is not an illness; it’s a state that can come from all parts of
   our life including our work. It can arise purely from work or purely
   home, but most often it is a combination of the two.
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What Can Go Wrong?

     * Stress is more than just about the amount you have to do. It
       depends on clarity of your role, how much control you have over
       your tasks, what support you get to achieve them, how you work with
       others and the pace of change and how this is communicated to you.
     * Normally we can cope with brief periods of stress, but in the
       longer term, continued stress has the potential to cause
       psychological and physical ill health.
     * Extreme or prolonged pressure might lead to people taking greater
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Legal/BBC Requirements

     * Managers should be aware of the BBC Stress policy and take action,
       when required to prevent and manage stress. See the BBC Stress
       Policy.

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     * Take regular exercise, because it has been shown to be beneficial
       in counteracting the effects of stress
     * Get the right amount of sleep and remember that relaxation time is
       very important.
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     * Don’t take refuge in alcohol or un-prescribed drugs. Although a
       drink can help you calm down in the short term, alcohol will only
       add to stress in the longer term.

For managers, producers and anyone in charge of staff schedules

     * Always consider pressure and stress when planning work activities,
       particularly: production schedules; rotas, shifts and working
       patterns; travel to and from locations; hours of work.
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       attendance.
     * Line managers have a responsibility to have identified, manage and
       control the risks of work related stress in their area of
       responsibility. Results from annual Work Pressure Index Staff
       Survey, can help signpost Line Managers to the areas of potential
       stressors in their areas. See "Work Pressure Index: A Guide for
       Managers".
     * Managers can use results from the Work Pressure Index to formulate
       a stress risk assessment and subsequent Action Plan, which will
       help to prioritise remedial action. See "BBC Safety's Generic
       Stress Risk Assessment".
     * There are many sources of information to help you; it might be
       simple as putting it as an agenda item on staff meetings.
     * You might need to undertake a risk assessment, for more information
       see BBC Safety’s Assessment and prevention of organisational stress
       guidance.

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     * The BBC Academy runs a number of courses for both managers and
       individuals to understand stress and how to manage it. See "Under
       Pressure: Dealing with stress".
     * Stress model risk assessments can be found on myRisks to help when
       an area of stress has been identified and needs to be controlled.
       See "BBC Safety's Generic Stress Risk Assessment".
     * You can call the Employee Assistance Programme (BBC confidential
       counselling service) on both are available 24/7. They also provide
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Useful Documents

     * BBC Stress Policy
     * Stress Risk Assessment (Generic)
     * The Work Pressure Index: A Managers Guide

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HSE - Stress
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NHS Guide to Stress, Anxiety and Depression
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