Rank: Forum user 
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During a recent occ health day, one staff member's results states that "due to a clinical decision, it is recommended that a stress risk assessment is carried out". Has anyone ever carried out an individual stress RA? Is it similar/the same to a departmental one - i.e. based on the 6 stress factors, or should it be handled differently? Also keen to know who is involved (HR, line managers etc.). Thanks
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Rank: Forum user
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We have adapted a version of this Stress Talking Toolkits - HSE as a framework for a conversation between managers and staff to help find out what issues may be affecting their wellbeing and agree on appropriate interventions. It works well for us, but it does require managers to be aware of the availabilty of local supportive processes, have some emotional intelligence and understand how to get the most out of the form.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I've seen forms that are intended to support this process by asking a lot of relevant questions covering the same ground as the HSE guidance, but the point of these was not to collect and record information but to help establish a discussion about the issues so as to identify solutions.
As to who is involved, it is generally supposed to be the line manager but they do need to have the relevant skills (including basic empathy) and to be trusted by the employee. If the manager themself is a source of stress, which is so often the case, it is obviously going to be problematic as they will at the least be on the defensive. For these reasons someone else may be asked to be involved.
The forms I saw had guidance associated with them that envisaged the employee privately looking at the questions in advance to form some initial thoughts, and then together with their manager using the questionnaire to guide an open discussion about what the problems were and what was needed. It sounded great in theory but I have no idea whether it was ever effective for anyone in practice.
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 1 user thanked Kate for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Hi DHH I think you need to try and get a better idea of WHY people are being asked to do an individual stress risk assessment. Now since the rationale for the "clinical decision" are likely to be kept under wraps unless the individual wants to tell those doing this assessment about it, then I think you probably need the individual and HR both involved in the assessment.
However, my starting point would be to keep to the principles - adapt the workplace to the worker, not vice versa, but just with a recognition that some individuals are more vulnerable than others. As Kate suggests, whilst the individual's line manager should probably be amongst those doing the assessment, their way of doing things might itself be part of the problem and so the team needs to recognise that there may be a need to manage the manager's (or quite possibly management at a broader level's) potential conflict of interest. Good luck, Peter
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