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The effect of interpersonal relationships and communication on mental health
There is increasing evidence suggesting that the line manager-employee relationship has an important influence on the health and wellbeing of employees and in particular work-related stress. So much so that health and safety directives in the UK and other parts of the world have introduced management standards for managing stress in the workplace, designed to give organisations guidance on how work-related stress risks can be effectively managed.
Whilst these standards are driven from a health and safety perspective, their achievement can be influenced, and mainly determined, by how line managers carry out their people management responsibilities and how they conduct |
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themselves to positively affect the well-being of those they manage and what to do in order to minimise and prevent stress in their team.
Four themes of behaviour, or competencies, were identified that are important for line managers to show in order to prevent and reduce stress in their staff. These are:
- Respectful and responsible: includes acting with integrity, managing emotions and being considerate
- Managing and communicating existing and future work: includes proactive work management, problem solving, keeping staff informed and encouraging participation
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- Managing the individual in the team: includes being personally accessible, being sociable, empathising with staff and recognising that every individual is different
- Reasoning and managing difficult situations: involves managing conflicts effectively, taking responsibility for resolving issues and seeking advice from others when necessary.
Stress management may be included as a part of a management or leadership development course or induction programmes aimed at raising managers’ understanding of the key behaviours. |
