The role of supervisors in managing occupational stress for service professionals

Abstract

In order to advise a large public sector welfare organisation on how to reduce the costs associated with occupational stress, the role of supervisors and managers was examined. In a pilot study, a random sample of the supervisors was interviewed and expressed awareness of its lack of relevant training. Workers (n = 813, representing 66% of all staff) then completed postal questionnaires after extensive consultation with the investigators about the issues. Occupational stress tended to arise not from workers' interactions with violent, disadvantaged or handicapped clients, but rather from reported organisational issues (including lack of supervisor support). Although the literature offers guidelines for the training needed by those in supervisory roles, motivation to provide this may only come from research which demonstrates the health costs and lost productivity due to low managerial competence in human service professions.