Royal Mail Group and Union Agreement – Launch of the ‘Group’ Work-Related Stress Risk Assessment Process

Postal, Health & Safety August 24 2021

Royal Mail Group has concluded an agreement, announcing the launch of a new extended and updated Work-Related Stress Management Toolkit which now adds the ‘whole office/group/unit’ stress risk assessment process to the existing individual stress risk assessment – guided conversation process.

In their launch statement Dan Clarke Royal Mail Group National Health & Wellbeing Development & Systems Manager said “Through our 5-year mental health strategy “Because Healthy Minds Matter”, Royal Mail Group is committed to implementing effective support strategies and tools that can make a positive difference to employees who are directly or indirectly affected by mental ill-health. Protecting the health, safety and welfare of our employees remains our number one priority. We recognise that workplace stress is a health and safety matter and acknowledge the importance of identifying and reducing workplace stressors. Together with the CWU and Unite CMA we jointly launched the Stress Toolkit with the individual stress risk assessment. Building on this, in agreement with the Unions, we are now enhancing the toolkit further by introducing the Group Stress Risk Assessment Process based on the HSE Stress Management Standards and survey Tool.

Developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as part of the HSE Stress Management standards, the Group Stress Risk Assessment Tool has been designed to gather the opinions of the workforce through a survey and aggregate responses to provide a broad indication of how well the risks associated with work related stress are being managed.

CWU National Health and Safety Officer Dave Joyce said  “Work-related stress is now recognised as one of the main ill health concerns in the workplace and the launch of the new ‘Whole Office’ Group Stress Risk Assessment Tool adds a new dimension to the Royal Mail stress standard through which collective workforce stress can be recognised and working together managers,  CWU Area and Local Representatives will be fully engaged and involved in the new agreed process and can jointly develop ideas and remedial action plans on how to tackle workplace stress effectively.”

Dave continues “The management and reduction of stress is an important part of a changing culture in Royal Mail and if implemented properly could significantly reduce levels of illness caused by work-related stress. This can be a major component in the vision for a workplace with good mental health for all and prevention is at the heart of it.”

Group Stress Risk Assessment Tool materials, including a user guide and guidance to help prevent and manage workplace stress are all part of the new stress toolkit – see full report in LTB 353/21 – Royal Mail Group – Introduction of ‘Whole Workplace/Office’ Stress Risk Assessment Process Tool and Updated Stress Toolkit, Guidance and Joint Statement. It is also available on the Royal Mail Group Health and Wellbeing intranet pages.

The Royal Mail Group ‘First Class Support Service’ which is a free, confidential helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for Royal Mail Group employees including direct access to stress and mental health counselling services. Telephone: 0345 266 5060.