Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet have approved a new policy, which reinforces the council’s stance on reducing stress related absence from work.
The Employee Wellbeing Management Policy focuses on the council’s commitment to promoting employee wellbeing and outlines the protective and preventative measures the council will take to help employees manage pressure and stress.
Cllr Allan Pritchard, Deputy Leader of Council and Cabinet Member for Human Resources, Legal, Policy and Governance said, “We firmly believe our employees are our most valuable resource, and we are committed to identifying and reducing levels of harmful stress experienced by employees in the workplace environment”.
He continued, “We are conscious that our current figures for stress related absence are higher than we would like, and we have a robust process in place to help reduce this level of absence”.
The health and welfare of Caerphilly County Borough Council’s employees is a key element of the Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy, and this policy is only a small part of the wellbeing strategy being implemented across the authority to manage employee wellbeing.
In fulfilling itself obligations towards its employees, the council is committed to:
- Training and developing managers and supervisors to promote wellbeing and manage stress in their work area
- Providing confidential counselling for employees affected by stress caused by either work or external factors
- Undertake risk assessments of individuals where circumstances dictate
Cllr Pritchard continued, “We provide a free helpline to all employees who feel they are suffering from stress and might require any urgent need of counselling – we also periodically run workshops on both Stress Awareness and the Management of Stress. These workshops cover the symptoms of stress, how to recognise stress in yourself and others, and relaxation techniques which employees can practice on their own”.
