Job Definition

An employee’s job definition is critically important in minimising the risk of work related stress.

If a job role is so loseley defined that the employee is unable to understand what is expected of them, or encompasses far too wide a remit, then the inability to succeed within that role will be a major cause of conflict.

Employees should be given the chance to agree to the tasks and responsibilities contained within the job definition and not feel that they have been imposed upon them without prior agreement (this is job imposition NOT definition).

This includes whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that the person does not have conflicting roles.

The HSE standard states that:

Employees indicate that they understand their role and responsibilities and systems are in place locally to respond to any individual concerns.

Good Job Definition Standards are Met When:

• The organisation ensures that, as far as possible, the different requirements it places upon employees are compatible.
• The organisation provides information to enable employees to understand their role and responsibilities.
• The organisation ensures that, as far as possible, the requirements it places upon employees are clear and achievable.
• Systems are in place to enable employees to raise concerns about any uncertainties or conflicts they have in their role and responsibilities.

Solving Work Related Stress

Work related stress tends to be dealt with in one of two principal ways;

• Providing support after the employee has become too stressed to attend work (what we call crisis management), and
• Providing training and support before employees become too stressed (mental health prevention).

Although it may seem obvious that the preventative option is clearly the best solution, the vast majority of employers fail to recognise this and tend to offer support (if at all) only once the employee has become absent from work.

Resilience Training

Lee Psychology have been delivering Resilience Training sessions to the NHS Integrated Care Boards (Sandwell & West Birmingham, The Black Country and Birminham & Solihull ICBs) since 2018.

Our training programmes are based on scientifically proven CBT pronciples and can be delivered as both group training seminars (half and full-days) as well as one-to-one personalised programmes (face-to-face or remotely using Zoom).

CBT Support

If you have employees who are struggling with work related stress (for whatever reason) we are also able to provide support using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Our 10 session CBT course is available in the following formats:

• Self-directed Online course over 10 modules.
• Clinically supported CBT course using our Online course with either 2, 5 or 10 face-to-face sessions (in-clinic or suing Zoom).

If you’d like to find out more about how we can support you and your organisation, then get in touch with Paul.

Business Psychology Support Services

If you’re looking to support your staff with their mental wellness, resilience or general wellbeing, then why not get in touch with Paul to find out more about how we can help.