Hatching Dragons company is comited to protecting the health (mntal as well as physical health) safety and welfare of all employees by providing a supportive working environment.
To enable our staff to cope successfully with the demands and pressures of work, reasonable and appropriate improvements to the working environment will be made and suitable support will be provided to those whose health and wellbeing is being affected by work related stress.
It is the company's responsibility to provide a supportive environment for dealing with stress related issues, however, employees must take responsibility for raising their concerns as early as possible in order for the company to investigate and resolve issues.
The purpose of this Stress at Work Policy is to ensure a healthy and supportive work environment for all employees, recognising that stress management is a shared responsibility between the employer and employees.
This policy applies to all employees of Hatching Dragons regardless of their position or department. It also outlines our approach to interactions with clients to protect our staff from undue stress.
Policy Statement
Hatching Dragons is committed to fostering a work environment that promotes the well-being of our employees. We recognise that work-related stress can have adverse effects on both individuals and the organisation. We are dedicated to implementing measures to prevent, identify, and manage stress and to support our employees in achieving a healthy work-life balance.
Responsibilities
Management
- Identify Stressors: Regularly assess the work environment to identify potential sources of stress and cooperate with the employee where needed by implementing debriefing sessions (this should be used to reflect on stress management and overall practice). Where needed and stress arrises due to peer interaction, mediation process should involve another unrelated senior employee (Manager from another school) to liaise within the process/mediate to escalate.
- Support and Training: Provide training and resources to help employees manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
- Workload Management: Ensure workloads are reasonable and manageable within standard working hours.
- Open Communication: Maintain an open-door policy for employees to discuss stress-related issues without fear of discrimination or reprisal.
- Client Interactions: Ensure that client interactions are managed in a way that minimises stress for employees. Address and resolve situations where clients may expose employees to high levels of stress.
Employees
- Self-Awareness: Be aware of personal stress levels and seek assistance if needed.
- Communication: Report any concerns about work-related stress to their manager.
- Engagement: Participate in training and initiatives aimed at stress management and take part in debriefing sessions with their manager/assigned mentor and/or senior colleague the employee feels to have assurance with. The on-site mentor can be chosen by an employee.
- Professionalism: Interact with clients professionally and escalate any stressful client interactions to management promptly. Do not attempt to resolve situations themselves, unless it puts others in danger.
Procedures
Identifying Stress
- Conduct regular surveys and assessments to gauge stress levels among employees.
- Hold periodic meetings to discuss workloads, deadlines, and any stress-related concerns.
Managing Work-Related Stress
- Provide access to counseling and support services for employees experiencing stress (this service is available for our employees upon the request).
- Implement reasonable adjustments to working arrangements where possible to help employees balance work and personal commitments.
- Encourage regular breaks and promote a healthy lifestyle through wellness programs, staff social events, monthly awards, appraisal meetings.
Client Interaction Management
- Establish clear guidelines for client interactions, emphasising respectful and professional behaviour.
- Take immediate action to address any incidents where clients expose employees to high levels of stress, including mediation or reassignment of client accounts if needed (i.e. termination of the nursery place with an immediate effect).
Monitoring and Review
- Regularly review the effectiveness of the stress management initiatives and make necessary adjustments.
- Seek feedback from employees on the policy and its implementation.
- Report findings to senior management and make recommendations for further improvements.
Confidentiality
All matters related to stress and mental health will be handled with strict confidentiality in line to GDPR regulations and only referred to Authorities where Safeguarding concerns arise. Information will only be shared on a need-to-know basis to provide appropriate support and resolve issues.
By adhering to this Stress at Work Policy, Hatching Dragons aims to create a supportive, productive, and healthy work environment for all employees. We are committed to taking proactive steps to manage and reduce work-related stress and to ensuring that our clients interact with our staff in a respectful and professional manner.
Any form of violence, aggression, verbal or racial abuse against our staff is unacceptable. We will always press for the strongest penalties for anyone who assaults our staff. This can lead to immediate termination of the place within our nursery and criminal charges.
Obsolete, racially biased, prejudiced and violence approaches to our clients will not be tolerated. Members of staff must always be aware of their own professionalism to avoid disciplinary action and criminal charges.