§ Dr. CableTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress has been made towards the creation of a central register for cases of work-related stress in the Department. [141692]
§ Mr. LeslieWe have no central register for cases of work-related stress. However, under our sick absence management policies, managers are responsible for informing our in-house Welfare service immediately if the cause of an employees absence is stress or 593W depression. Our Welfare Officers are fully trained, and ideally placed, to deal with issues involving work-related stress.
My Department is committed to reducing work-related stress. We have introduced a range of stress management courses for both managers and non-managers, and are currently working on a Stress at Work policy, which takes account of the latest HSE standards, and aims to:
ensure that all employees are aware of the factors that can produce stress and are able to take preventative measures to avoid creating stressful situations;ensure that employees watch for evidence of undue stress in their own and others' behaviour and take prompt action, using all available support, to reduce stress levels in my Department.My Department introduced a wide range of work-life balance policies during 2001, enabling staff to adopt more effective working patterns to better balance their work and home life. My Department won the Opportunity Now National Public Sector award earlier this year for these policies.