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News Release from: Chartered Institute of Building [CIOB] | Subject: CIOB report on work-related stress
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 07 April 2006
CIOB report on work-related stress
Construction needs to acknowledge work-related stress - CIOB report.
As an outcome of its inquiry into the incidence of stress in construction management and professional occupations, CIOB is recommending that the industry should be more open in acknowledging the problem The report suggests that an industry-wide programme is needed to raise awareness of the toll that workplace stress exacts at the higher levels of the industry
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 12 Mar 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The CIOB survey also brought to light the fact that the majority of construction professionals feel that the industry today is more stressful than it was five years ago.
Introducing the report, Michael A.Brown, the CIOB deputy chief executive, says that although the industry is by nature challenging and stimulating, the pressures can take their toll, raising stress levels and tipping individuals into anxiety and depression.
The survey does not set out to provide information on the incidence of management and professional work-related stress, but Michael Brown insists that the responses demonstrate the existence of a serious problem in the industry.
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"Only six per cent of those who have suffered stress admit to having taken time off as a direct result".
"However, 50.5 per cent of respondents indicated that taking time off helps them to cope with occupational stress".
""This may be due to a perception that there would be a negative impact on their career if they admitted to suffering from stress.
If this is the case, the impact on the individual's performance, and on their colleagues, must be significant given that many will be responsible for the health and safety of others".
"We need to understand better the balance between a positively challenging industry and the point at which individuals lose the ability to cope through workplace stress".
"Of the factors affecting workplace stress, the highest recorded in this survey is 'too much work', but not far behind are 'pressure', 'ambitious deadlines' and 'hours worked'".
""All as might be expected".
"However, also featuring highly were environmental issues such as 'lack of privacy' and perhaps surprisingly 'inadequate temperature control'.
"We also need to be aware that 'poor planning', 'poor communications' and 'lack of feedback' feature more highly than, for example, 'interpersonal conflicts'.
These demonstrate weaknesses in management and must be addressed as a matter of good practice".
"'Relationships with one's superior' did not feature as one of the principal organisational factors affecting workplace stress".
"'Bullying' is clearly present in the industry but it measures lower than most other issues identified".
High cost of occupational stress.
As CIOB found in the course of its inquiries, occupational stress is a concern throughout the whole of United Kingdom industry.
Research commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive indicates that about half a million people experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill.
This inquiry found that up to five million people felt 'very' or 'extremely' stressed by their work.
In 2004/05, a total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) found that construction workers are particularly at risk of stress, but it did not look specifically at those working at a higher level in the industry.
Similarly, the HSE research has not looked at construction specifically.
The CIOB survey was conducted using a web-based questionnaire which respondents could access through the CIOB website.
The sample consisted of 847 construction industry professionals, the majority of whom were construction managers.
The sample contained more male respondents than female (93 per cent ratio), broadly reflecting gender distribution within the construction industry.
The largest group (41 per cent) were working in organisations employing more than 500.
The survey found that the majority of respondents (68.2 per cent) had suffered from stress, anxiety or depression as a direct result of working in the construction industry.
Only 26.6 per cent of those had sought medical advice.
Those who had suffered depression were marginally more likely to seek medical help, compared with those suffering from stress and anxiety.
Of the six per cent who had taken time off, almost three-quarters of them were absent for a week or less.
The research also revealed some factors contributing to stress that had not been covered in the main body of the survey.
This included client expectations and demands, long travelling times, lack of skilled operatives, poor subcontractors and the lack of work/life balance.
The most common factors that helped respondents to cope with stress were cited as regular exercise, taking regular time out of the office and team-building events.
On the basis of these findings, the CIOB report suggests that measures such as confidential support mechanisms could help those suffering from stress without the concern that disclosure would have a negative impact on their career.
As colleagues were cited as being the most effective source of support in these situations, this could potentially provide an area to examine for the relief of occupational stress.
This could include more team building and social events".
"In the long term", says the report, "the industry should be aiming to create more openness in acknowledging and addressing the problem of occupational stress".
"An industry-wide programme of awareness raising, including stress awareness training, needs to be implemented.".
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