to what extent is this Wellness Programme tackling the cause of stress?

656 PART 4 The Organization System Case Rudy 2 CASE INCIDENT 2 Sweat the Stress According to a 2016 report by the Health and Safety of the business. Heather Swinsco. the human resource Executive, a public body in the United Kingdom, stress, Professional who proposed the program. sees the issue depression, and anxiety cost UK industries $12.5 million mental health as something which needs to be ble in lost sick days. This accounted for 49 percent of all days seriously. In a recent survey, the mental health chapel lost due to ill health, and the trend is rising. The Institute Mind found that 30 percent of staff would not feel cop of Directors, another British organization, reports that fortable talking to a line manager about being stressed 98 percent of business leaders believe that good mental while 14 percent said they had resigned as a result . health is important to the performance of their organi- stress, with a worrying further 42 percent saying they had zation. With 54 percent of its members saying that they considered it. The inability to talk about stress may revis been approached by staff suffering from mental ill health, in still higher levels of sickness as the issues are not being it is clear that organizations need to develop new ways to addressed, and staying at work may have a negative impar address this increasing problem. on other employees, who now have to deal with these Like many large employers, the University of Leeds stressed co-worker. Swinsco felt that identifying individu takes the health and well-being of its staff very seriously. als at this earlier stage and making direct referrals to the providing a range of support services aimed at improving Wellness Programme would limit these negative effects their psychological health. However, a new Wellness Pro- Referral to the program was based on certain crite. gramme aims to provide a different type of support. The ra, such as the length of time that the individual was pilot scheme, based in the Faculty of Engineering, offers expected to experience mental ill-health and whether employees a 12-week program that provides one-on-one they were willing and able to engage with the activities support with exercises, stress management, sleep manage- Members of the pilot prog program will be monitored dur. ment, and healthy lifestyle management. Those on the ing the initial 12 weeks and after to assess the impact program have access to on-site gym facilities and bespoke of the exercise on their mental wellbeing. Initial reports training programs followed by a further six-month pre- are encouraging, and overall positive outcomes may mium gym membership. lead to the program being taken up by other areas of The more commonly known impacts of stress are on the University. our psychological health, leading to a number of prob- lems such as tension or anxiety. However, it can also lead to physiological problems, ranging from loss of appetite Questions to heart attacks. The benefits of exercise to those suffer- 17-17. To what extent is this Wellness Programme tack- ing from mental health issues are well documented. The ling the causes of stress? How should employees Mayo Clinic has touted the stress-busting benefits of exer- be selected for this type of program? What issues cise, and a review by the Society of Occupational Medicine might this cause? found that workplace physical activity programs can have 17-18. Do you see any challenges in a full implementation a positive impact on anxiety, symptoms of depression, and of this sort of Wellness Programme for the organi- stress. zation? Explain your answer. The targeted Wellness Programme at the University 17-19. This type of program aims to reduce stress across if Leeds aims to tackle the issues of stress at the earliest the organization. What issues may impact success- age, before the negative effects are felt by the individual ful uptake by staff? ure: Health and Safety Executive, "Work-related Stress, Depres