Principles of good management practice

Work design

  • Have clear role and responsibilities for your staff which they understand
  • Regularly review know work pressures such as excessive work deadlines, staffing levels and the need for staff skills development
  • Identify jobs where stress has been or is a problem and see what can be done to reduce the risk of stress
  • Ensure that instructions and requests to staff are clear and are not conflicting
  • Allow flexible work schedule when this is practicable
  • Where possible ensure employees have some control of their work tasks and that work has variety

Health safety and welfare

  • Take health and safety seriously
  • Be aware of the signs of stress and changes in behaviour or performance – spot the signs early to prevent problems escalating
  • Where there are relationship problems, tackle these early identify and agree the stress to try and resolve matters
  • Visit your team
  • Know how long employees are working
  • Encourage employees to take their full entitlement of holidays each year
  • Provide as good a work environment as possible with the appropriate equipment to do the work efficiently
  • If you are concerned about occupational stress use OBU’s Risk Assessment for Occupational Stress Form to identify an address work-related stressors - OBU stress risk assessment for occupational stress (Word doc)
  • Make sure you follow up on concerns that employees report to you and report back on steps taken to address their concerns

Communication

  • Have clear, regular two-way communication with your staff. Are there meetings? Is there the opportunity for informal discussion?
  • Recognise and praise individual or group achievement, hard work and effort
  • Give supportive and constructive criticism when required
  • Provide opportunities for your team to discuss their concerns. Listen sympathetically and take actions to resolve situations where you can
  • Communicate and discuss team objectives, mission and values
  • Involve your team in proposed changes to staffing, work tasks and responsibilities
  • Think through the impact your actions and decision have on your team
  • Give time to individual members of staff