London Underground – stress management
| Company name | London Underground |
|---|---|
| Sector | Travel and transport |
| Number of employees | 13,000 |
| Type of workforce | Operational station staff, train drivers, engineers and administrative staff (project management, customer service etc) |
What issue was the organisation facing?
London’s Underground’s Stress Plan was initially developed as a pro-active health initiative to focus on reducing the organisation’s stress-related absence costs. Due to high levels of interaction with the public, it was important that London Underground developed a holistic approach to both preventing and managing stress in the workplace.
What action did the organisation take?
The support currently available for London Underground employees includes the Counselling and Trauma Service and the Stress Reduction Group.
The Counselling and Trauma Service offers short term one-to-one counselling, specialist trauma counselling, stress reduction workshops, as well as advice and support to employees and managers.
Being at home off sick does not generally aid recovery and can impede it – so that problems become chronic and harder to treat. Those clients referred for counselling within ten working days of going off sick with stress, anxiety or depression take an average of 28 working days off in total compared to those referred more than 31 working days after going sick who take an average of 94 working days off sick.
The Stress Reduction Group is for employees who are experiencing symptoms of stress. Its aim is to teach employees life skills such as responding effectively during difficult times and building psychological resilience to stress.
What has been the impact of implementing health interventions?
- The Stress Reduction Programme has resulted in absence reduction, savings of £455,000 – a return on investment of 8:1.
- Evidence of improved productivity and culture.
- Evidence of individuals making positive changes in health and lifestyle.
- Of the 16 employees who attended a selection of four Stress Reduction Groups and responded to their questionnaire:
- 87% reported improvements in relating to others
- 81% reported improvements in exercise and relaxation
- 68% reported improvements in sleep patterns
- 62% reported improvements in diet.