Health and Safety

6. Employee Welfare

6.1 You must provide enough clean, working toilets.

Hot and cold water, soap and towels or a hand dryer must be available. Mixed facilities are allowed, provided they are enclosed and lockable from the inside.

6.2 You must provide mains or bottled drinking water. 6.3 Working areas should be cleaned regularly.

Waste should be removed and safely stored.

6.4 The temperature should be comfortable.

Recommended levels are at least 16 C where people are sedentary and at least 13 C where people are active. If the temperature must be lower, employees should not be exposed for long and they should be given suitable clothing. Thermometers should be available.

6.5 Adequate lighting is a requirement for both employee welfare and health and safety. 6.6 The workplace should provide enough space and ventilation.

Recommendations are that employees should have at least 11 cubic metres per person (not counting space more than three metres above the floor). If your windows do not provide sufficient ventilation, a mechanical ventilation system may be required.

6.7 You must provide employees with an appropriate rest area, depending on your circumstances.

Employees who do physically demanding work usually need one. Employees who wear special clothing usually need a changing area. Even in a normal office, there must be a place to hang and dry wet clothing. If the workplace is not suitable for eating in, provide an eating area. Implement a smoking policy. Smoking is banned in all commercial premises and enclosed public places. Pregnant women and new mothers must be given access to rest facilities

job stress. Job is the word to describe something that has to be done; a task: an undertaking requiring unusual exertion; a specific duty, role, or function: a regular remunerative position. Stress is defined as a dynamic condition consisting of a unique set of emotional, intellectual and physiological responses to a stimulus. This stimulus, or stressor as it is commonly called, can be a constraint, a demand, or even an opportunity, which is perceived, be an individual to have a potentially important, though uncertain, outcome. Occupational stress is the sum of all factors in a work place, which elicit a stress response in an individual. It has been further defined as a perceived imbalance between occupational demands and the individuals ability to perform when the consequences of failure are thought to be important. It has long been suspected that persons experiencing high levels of stress develop a group of psychological and physical disorders. Recent research in this area has reinforced this perception and begun to identify the specific stressful situations that produce the effects. Mental disorders documented to be associated with job stress .

Work Related Stress The Health & Safety Executive defines stress as the adverse reaction a person has to excessive pressure or other types of demands placed upon them. This makes a distinction between pressure, which can be a positive state if managed correctly, and stress which can be detrimental to health. 2 Prevention of Work-related stress UCL recognises that it has a duty of care towards its staff and a legal obligation to provide a safe working environment . 2.1 Organisational arrangements UCL aims to ensure, as far as is reasonably possible, that staff work in a safe environment with safe systems of work

by providing a workplace free from harassment and victimisation; by developing sound management practice based on equality of treatment; by providing a framework of employment, health, safety and security policies and systems to support managers and staff in minimising the risk of work-related stress; by effective workload allocation and feedback on performance; by ensuring good communication throughout UCL; by providing information and training to enable staff to develop their skills and maximise their contribution to the success of UCL; By providing appropriate employee support services.

2.2 Managers responsibility It is essential that managers have an active role in facilitating and supporting staff to do their job effectively and to contribute to the success of the department and UCL. In order to minimise the risk of work-related stress, managers must:

Ensure good communication particularly where there are organisational and procedural changes; ensure jobs are designed to avoid conflicting demands and that expectations and the job role are clear; ensure staff are fully trained to undertake the demands of their job and are able to contribute to decisions about how the job is done; ensure there are regular opportunities for feedback on performance e.g. regular one to one meetings and team meetings; identify or respond to issues of concern promptly and seek constructive solutions; make use of the support and training resources available; ensure staff are provided with meaningful training and developmental opportunities; ensure that bullying and harassment is not tolerated; be aware of signs of problems and offer additional support to a member of staff who is experiencing stress outside work e.g. bereavement or separation; comply with UCL employment policies and policies on health, safety and security; seek appropriate advice and support at an early stage if difficulties arise.

2.3 Employee Responsibilities It is essential that staff have an active role in contributing to their own development and the success of the department and UCL by using the resources available to carry out their role effectively. In order to minimise the risk of work-related stress, staff must:

Ensure good communication with colleagues and their manager; support colleagues by providing appropriate information and by sharing knowledge and resources where appropriate; engage in discussion about their performance and act on feedback; raise issues of concern at an early stage and seek constructive solutions; make use of the support and training resources available; ensure that bullying and harassment is not tolerated; comply with UCL employment policies and policies on health, safety and security; seek appropriate advice and support at an early stage if difficulties arise.

3 Risk Assessment and Risk Management All staff may experience periods of pressure at work, and short periods of pressure are not necessarily of concern. It is the risk from sustained and / or excessive pressure, without the opportunity to recover, that needs to be assessed and measures put in place to control the risk of adverse effects. The Health and Safety Executive has identified six key Management Standards that represent a set of conditions that reflect high levels of health, well being and organisational performance. The Management Standards provide a practical framework that organisations can use to minimise the impact of work-related stress. Details are provided in full in appendix 1, along with UCLs policies and procedures that support the achievement of each standard. In summary the standards are concerned with:

Role: Whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that the person does not have conflicting roles Demands: e.g. workload, work patterns, and the work environment Control: How much say a person has in the way they do their work Support: The encouragement, support and resources provided by the organisation, line managers and colleagues Relationships: Promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour Change: How organisational change is managed and communicated

Social security may refer to:

social insurance, where people receive benefits or services in recognition of contributions to an insurance program. These services typically include provision for retirement pensions, disability insurance, survivor benefits and unemployment insurance. services provided by government or designated agencies responsible for social security provision. In different countries this may include medical care, financial support during unemployment, sickness, or retirement, health and safety at work, aspects of social work and even industrial relations. basic security irrespective of participation in specific insurance programs where eligibility may otherwise be an issue. For instance assistance given to newly arrived refugees for basic necessities such as food, clothing, housing, education, money, and medical care.

Competency Mapping process is designed to consistently measure and assess individual and group performance as it relates to the expectations of the organization and its customers. It is used to identify key attributes (knowledge, skills, and behavior attributes) that are required to perform effectively in a job classification or an identified process. Competency mapping is a process through which one assesses and determines ones strengths as an individual worker and in some cases, as part of an organization. It generally examines two areas: emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ), and strengths of the individual in areas like team structure, leadership, and decisionmaking. Large organizations frequently employ some form of competency mapping to understand how to most effectively employ the competencies of strengths of workers. They may also use competency mapping to analyze the combination of strengths in different workers to produce the most effective teams and the highest quality work. The value of competency mapping and identifying emotional strengths is that many employers now purposefully screen employees to hire people with specific competencies. They may need to hire someone who can be an effective time leader or who has demonstrated great active listening skills. Alternately, they may need someone who enjoys taking initiative or someone who is very good at taking direction. When individuals must seek new jobs, knowing ones competencies can give one a competitive edge in the job market.