Stress

Note

Claims against employers for stress caused at work are rising fast. Because this is an unknown area for many nurseries, additional background information is provided at this point in relation to this policy.

Background

Some stress in the lives of everyone is helpful. Indeed some commentators point out that a person with zero stress is probably asleep.

In many aspects of life we recognise immediately that stress, in the form of heightened awareness and heightened levels of adrenaline and other chemicals in the blood, is a positive part of completing a job. The intention of a stress policy is not to eliminate stress from the work place, nor to reduce it to the lowest possible level, but to ensure that it exists at a level commensurate with balancing the good health and well being of the members of the nursery, and the expectation of heightened awareness and performance by members of the nursery in undertaking their work.

An overload of stress can be an exceedingly debilitating illness, which can cause long-term damage to the individual who suffers from it. We owe it to ourselves, our colleagues and our children to ensure that no one in this nursery suffers from such levels of stress that they suffer such long-term debilitation.

Aims

Our aims in recognising stress as a factor in education are that all members of staff in the nursery will:

Experience levels of stress that are not inappropriate with the maintenance of good health.
Have the opportunity to relax regularly so that they may experience varied levels of stress during the working day.
Have the opportunity to feel positive and proud about their work and the work of the nursery so that they can feel that the stress that they have experienced has been worthwhile.
Have the opportunity to relax out of nursery hours without constantly worrying about their work and the work of the nursery.
Develop a responsible attitude and understanding towards their own stress levels so that they can take action, or seek help and support, long before stress becomes a critical issue within their lives.
Develop a responsible attitude and understanding towards the stress levels of colleagues so that they can support and help colleagues who appear to be suffering from undue levels of stress.
Develop a responsible attitude and understanding towards signs of stress in children which may be an indication of abuse or neglect.

Principles of stress management

We see stress management as a process of co-operative team work and welcome and encourage the involvement of governors, counsellors and medical practitioners in the community. It involves looking at:

The amount of work a person is expected to undertake.
The satisfaction derived from that work.
The way in which that person?s work is valued by others.
The amount of time given to a person in which to undertake that work.
The esteem in which that person is held by others.
The individual?s self-esteem.
An understanding of the stress that is involved in caring for young children.
An understanding of how stress levels can vary throughout the nursery.

Responsibilities

All members of the nursery community (teaching and non-teaching staff, parents, and governors) work towards the nursery's aims by:

Esteeming the staff, children and all other members of the community as individuals and respecting their rights, values and beliefs.
Fostering and promoting good relationships and a sense of belonging to the nursery community.
Providing a well ordered environment in which all are fully aware of behavioural expectations.
Offering equal opportunities in all aspects of nursery life and recognising the importance of different cultures.
Encouraging, praising and positively reinforcing good relationships, behaviours and work.
Working as a team, supporting and encouraging one another.

Staff work towards the nursery's stress control policy by:

Recognising and being constantly aware of the needs of each individual child according to ability and aptitude.
Ensuring that learning is progressive and continuous and always rewarded.
Being good role models - punctual, well prepared and organised.
Having a high personal self-esteem and working hard to develop and maintain the self-esteem of the children.
Having a positive attitude to change and the development of their own expertise.
Working collaboratively with a shared philosophy and commonality of practice.
Appreciating the work of other members of staff and being positive in their support for each other.

Parents work toward the nurseries aims of reducing stress in children by:

Ensuring that children attend nursery in good health, regularly and punctually.
Providing support for the discipline within the nursery.
Being realistic about their children's abilities and offering encouragement and praise.
Participating in discussions concerning their child's progress and attainments.
Ensuring early contact with the nursery to discuss matters which affect a child's happiness, progress and behaviour.

Procedures

In order continually to enhance self-esteem and thus reduce the build up of stress, the work of all staff both individually and as a community is noted and appreciated privately and publicly through:

Staff meetings in which achievements are noted and commended.
Individual one-to-one discussions between the head of the nursery and a member of staff.
Individual one-to-one discussions between a governor and a member of staff.
Letters to parents.
Press releases and communications with the mass media and local community.
Strategies for ensuring progress and continuity

Stress will not go away, and a review of the level of stress within the nursery must be a continuous process. As part of this process the following principles are adopted:

Open discussion of stress as an issue is arranged regularly in general staff meetings and within one-to-one meetings between the manager responsible for stress and members of staff.
No complaint from any member of staff concerning stress is ever ignored or set aside or answered in platitudes. Every stress issue raised is taken seriously and a solution found.
There are many self-esteem programmes available on the market and one of these will be chosen and implemented.
Above all the nursery recognises that stress problems can be debilitating for years to come for those who suffer them, but that they can be overcome with careful attention to the way in which all members of the community work together.

Monitoring of stress

Records of absence through illness and the reason for the illness are kept. Appropriate monitoring of sickness absence is recognised as an essential early warning measure of increased stress.

Clear guidelines are given to staff to report absences on the first day of any absence and beyond. The nursery ensures that a phone line is always clear to allow staff to report in.

Regular contact is maintained with absent staff and an agreement on the date and form of the next contact is always made.

When a member of staff returns to work after an absence of any length a return to work interview takes place. The interview follows the clear guidelines set out for this meeting and all information gathered is recorded.

It is the duty of the manager/proprietor to prepare and review each year a set of measures which will allow the nursery to be operated in such a way that it minimises the level of stress overload which staff experience.