3b. Stress in the workplace

1. An important component in the wellbeing and safety of yourself and others is to reflect on your level of stress in the workplace.

• Increased stress can lead to workplace injury, illness or poor psychological health.

• You should report to an appropriate member of staff (e.g. your manager, HR, or other designated person such as a Health and Safety Representative) if you are experiencing excessive stress at work.

Remember: Its part of your employers duty of care to ensure your wellbeing.

Stress is a significant risk to workplace health and safety that can often be overlooked.

It is important to understand your stress levels and symptoms that you might experience if you’re starting to feel stressed.

Symptoms may be:

• Physical symptoms - tired, no energy, feeling ill before work

• Psychological symptoms - feeling anxious, depression

• Behavioural symptoms - snapping at others, rushing to get things done, not being able to eat

There are a range of causes for stress in the workplace and they include:

• harassment or bullying by an employer/PCBU,  a co-worker or group of co-workers, parents/guardians, students or members of the public

• time pressures

• challenges in working with particular students or classes or teachers

• expectations in excess of what you can manage 

• others?

Scenario - complete with a partner or in a small group:

You have been asked by the teacher in the room to set up the tables each morning in groups of 3. You find this extremely difficult on Monday mornings as the room is used by another teacher on Friday afternoons and all 15 tables are left grouped together at the back of the room. It takes up to 15 minutes to complete this task, you have a sore lower back from lifting tables on your own and then you are very rushed to set up the remainder of the room, in which the teacher is now commenting on. You feel stressed and overwhelmed with the work pressures. 

1. Identify the cause/s of the stress.

2. Identify at least one solution to this issue.

3. Who should you report this to in accordance with workplace procedures? 

4. Identify at least 3 sources of support, mentorship or training that you could utilise to maintain currency of safe work practices or to further develop skills in regards to manual handling skills (you might come back to this point after doing the Reflect on own safe work practices learning). 

2. You can contribute to safe work practices by being aware of what bullying and harassment looks like in the workplace and reporting it when you see or hear it happening. 

If the bullying and harassment is done by staff, parents or other adults, it must be reported to your supervisor, the Principal and / or the Workplace Health and Safety Committee (or to an external agency). 

If the bullying and harassment is being done by students it should also be reported but it may be dealt with under different procedures and policies. However, it is still an important safety issue and must be reported.