Stress in the workplace – HSE needs to work the policy

Dublin North Health & Welfare branch members might be surprised to know that the HSE has a policy for the prevention and management of stress in the workplace that issued in 2018.

In the introductory paragraph of the policy from the HSE the following sentence catches the eye: “A healthy workplace policy creates a supportive environment that protects and promotes the physical, mental and social wellbeing of employees.” Fine words indeed. In fact it’s a great policy, but what’s happening on the ground is somewhat different.

Our branch executive is well aware of the reality is, having spoken to members and also being contacted by them in relation to increased stress in the workplace, a lack of support and - at times -just being told to “get on with it.”

It’s interesting to note that at times the HSE has a problem with even acknowledging that work related stress exists.The policy is well worth a read, it’s been well researched, and contains a lot of good content with regard to how to prevent and manage work related stress. What we need now is for the policy to be taken down from the shelf, widely distributed and fully implemented.

In the interim, mind your mental health.

Occupational Health Service

The Occupational Health Service is another issue that is climbing the charts of concern across our membership.

This service is staffed by a dedicated team of medical professionals who roll out this service with empathy and support. Hats off to them and long may this continue.

The problem, as advised by our members, is how this service is interpreted by some managers. For example, some members have informed us they are being told by managers that they will be “reported” to occupational health because of their sick leave records. Other examples include some managers “not agreeing” with occupational recommendations despite not having medical qualifications themselves, another bizarre example is on occasions a couple of managers wanted to change the recommendations themselves or just ignoring the occupational report and its contents.

Again, the HSE who has a duty of care to its employees, now needs to ensure that the reports issued by occupational health are respected and implemented in full.

New bereavement leave measures

Health workers are now allowed 20 days bereavement leave on the death of a spouse or child following new measures introduced in October.

It follows Fórsa’s win of an important case in the Labour Court. The previous allowance was just five days.The Court recommended that the changes should also apply in ‘section 38’ organisations, which are independent but directly funded by the State to deliver health services. The improvement came into force on 1st October. More details are available HERE.

A Helping Hand

Fórsa’s Dublin North Health and Welfare branch has recently donated €10,000 to the Capuchin day centre for homeless people.

Founded by Brother Kevin Crowley 50 years ago this year, the facility in Dublin 7 provides over 1,000 meals a day, with priority given to rough sleepers. You can read more HERE.

Festive Fun

On a lighter note and as we are approaching the festive season, the branch is delighted to announce that we are sponsoring two options free of charge to our members and families.

We’re hosting a screening of Frozen 2 on Saturday 7th of December at 10.30am at Charlestown Cinema Complex, goodie bags for those attending.Tthe first 65 members to contact us by email at this address will win a ticket for themselves and two guests (limited to a total of three tickets per member).

And, if you can’t join us for the screening we also have complimentary pantomime/show tickets for various dates in early 2020 at the Axis Theatre, Ballymun.