Business Mentality
Food production company
Background to contact with Business Mentality
Contact was initially made with the Managing Director (MD) of this food production company, which employs approximately 70 people, through a business network. Completion of the 5 Minute Stress Check for Small Organisations (a tool developed by Business Mentality which quickly assesses the manager's perception of 10 key areas related to workplace stress) highlighted a need for more effective communication with staff. (Please see map and results attached)
Issues
The MD raised two issues that he wanted help with:
- In general the MD felt that staff were happy and motivated but said there were frequent conflicts and disputes between staff which he found irritating and frustrating.
- A member of staff had taken time off sick because he was so stressed by the imminent death of a family member. The MD thought that if the company had been better able to support the employee, time off sick may not have been needed.
Agreed Actions
Following the meeting with the MD it was suggested by Business Mentality that the Mental Health Specialist could provide some support and advice about resolving staff conflict. The MD and the Mental Health Specialist met a few weeks later when he asked her to discuss the issues with the company's external Human Resources (HR) Consultant.
Intervention
The Mental Health Specialist met with MD who indicated that he was very stressed and found it difficult to take holidays. This was because major problems in the company had arisen while he was away that he didn't feel other staff had dealt with competently. He asked the Mental Health Specialist to contact the HR Consultant, who he had engaged to provide advice regarding an employment tribunal and to write a company handbook which would include policies & procedures, to discuss the issues raised with her.
A meeting was arranged with the HR Consultant to discuss the issues raised by the MD and the support that Business Mentality could provide. Her view was that the immediate staff issues had been dealt with but that problems with employees needed to be resolved at an earlier stage. She had been brought in to assist with an employment tribunal, which she felt could have been avoided had better policies and systems been in place. The MD had asked her to run a half day HR training for the managers and it was we agreed that the Mental Health Specialist would contribute a section about managing stress at work.
Unfortunately BM was unable to participate on the date chosen for the training due to prior commitments but the following information was sent for inclusion in the training pack:
- Where to Find Support for Stressed Employees Business Mentality resource leaflet 2008
- Tackling Stress: The Management Standards Approach, Health & Safety Executive (HSE) 2005
- Managing Stress at Work: a Competency Framework for Line Managers, HSE 2007
The following documents were sent to the HR Consultant for her reference and consideration in relation to the staff handbook.
- Stress Indicator Tool, HSE
- Example of a Stress Policy
The HR Consultant reported that the training, including the section on stress, was well received. She asked the Mental Health Specialist to provide information about services for stressed employees in an area outside London where the company had another production site. Her plan was to include this and some of the information from the Business Mentality resource leaflet in the company staff handbook.
Comments from client
'Discussing the company issues gave me more confidence to address the issue of stress. It was helpful to talk to someone with a background and expertise in stress management.
Without this guidance I would have avoided the topic in the HR training for the company managers but I felt more confident and assertive in dealing with the issue. To start with they laughed when I mentioned stress management but when I explained that it included being able to support staff dealing with a bereavement or a diagnosis of cancer they took it more seriously. I was able to give them a clear message about the importance of communication, talking to staff rather than ignoring problems and not making assumptions about what is going on with people.
I was also able to tell the MD that he needed to take a step back and allow his managers to do their job by managing staff and addressing HR issues without his involvement. He has some very competent managers and I felt the HR training helped him to focus on this, he has even been able to take a month's holiday which he would have found very difficult to do before.'
Comments from Business Mentality
This case study indicates that the intervention from Business Mentality worked well in supporting the company to address stress caused by conflicts at work or in the personal lives of employees through the HR Consultant's increased confidence to address these issues.
For more information please contact:
Sue Temple or Mukesh Gohil
Business Mentality
020 8444 7910