Course Content

Unit 1: Stress in the workplace: what causes it and what it does to people

• Explain what causes stress in the workplace
• Define the relationship between pressure and stress in the workplace
• Understand the various ways workplace stress affects people
• Identify and differentiate between common stressors and stressors that affect only some people

Unit 2: How stress affects different people in different ways

• Define differences in people’s personalities
• Explain how workplace stress affects different people in different ways
• Demonstrate how different people change their behaviour when experiencing increasing levels of stress
• Describe the relationships between values, character, organisational culture and stress in the workplace

Unit 3: Learning how to deal with your own stress

• Identify tactics for dealing with stress in the workplace as it happens
• Plan how to develop oneself to reduce the likelihood of experiencing stress in the workplace
• Understand how emotional intelligence helps reduce stress in the workplace
• Identify and deal with any factors in his or her job role that may lead to stress

Unit 4: Workplace relationships and how to make them less stressful

• Define and explain the links between workplace stress, conflict and organisational politics
• Make use of a range of conflict-handling methods
• Understand the relationship between workplace stress and his or her leadership style and capabilities
• Maximise the potential benefits of positive relationships in the workplace

Unit 5: Managing stress - the role of the manager

• Understand why managers need to get to know employees as individuals so that they can work together to minimise the potential for stress in the workplace
• Set appropriate behavioural expectations that will minimise stress amongst employees
• Give effective feedback that reduces the possibility of employee stress due to uncertainty
• Find ways of tapping into employees’ own motivations to maximise job satisfaction, thereby reducing stress

Unit 6: Stress and the organisation - responsibilities and strategies for dealing with workplace stress

• Describe the responsibilities organisations have towards their employees with regard to minimising stress in the workplace
• Explain the links between an organisation’s values and stress management in the workplace
• Explain how training and development can help reduce stress in the workplace
• Promote the benefits to organisations of ensuring that workplace stress is kept to the absolute minimum