Otherwise perfect candidates can fail to perform in the job if they have difficulty handling stress. Minimising the risk is an important part of the recruitment process.
Stress at work costs the UK economy billions of pounds every year. According to the CBI, stress is the second most common cause of absence from the workplace, with employers recognising the problem but struggling to pinpoint the causes of it.
Identifying and dealing with candidates who suffer from stress can itself be a stressful experience. But it is an important skill for a consultant to learn – clients will be unimpressed if a candidate is placed who cannot cope with the demands of culture of their new job and environment.
The key, therefore, is to recognise which candidates are likely to have a problem with stress, and see what can be done to reduce the risk of making a bad match.
The Problem
Stress is usually defined either by working conditions, management attitudes, work/life balance, relationships or responsibilities.
It’s generally acknowledged that stress is a natural reaction to excessive pressure – the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism. While it isn’t a disease in itself, it can lead to health problems if not tackled.
Despite the fact that we are now in the 21st century, there is still a degree of stigma attached to people suffering from stress, and certainly people are concerned that they will be labelled to the point that it may affect their career.
That’s why it’s vital to determine whether the degree of stress a candidate can sometimes already have as a result of their previous employment can be reduced or eliminated by their new placement.
By taking all these issues into account in the early selection stages, you can ensure you accurately match the candidate to the culture of the client.
The solution
A successful approach will be based on attention to detail when assessing the suitability of a particular candidate. This can be done by offering a friendly but more intense personal service to candidates, and spending time finding out why they want to leave or have left their previous job. Initially they might say it is because they want to further their career, but it could be stress-related.
They may have been promoted without the backing of adequate training in order for them to cope with the increased volume of work, or not felt part of a team which socialised out of office hours, or, it could have been more personal reasons, such as long journeys to and from work which inhibited their quality time at home, or something as relatively simple as working in a smoking environment, which affected them.
A good consultant is one who established what factors have actually affected a candidate’s decision to move jobs. More often than not, by taking away the emphasis on the previous employer during the interview and focussing on career like and dislikes, you can determine whether there are stress-related issues to address.
But do not just do your homework with candidates. While always insisting on visiting clients, go beyond the four walls of human resources or the MD’s office. Go into the client’s office to meet the existing ream, determine staff turnover rates and the reasons why people have left, while also looking at he appraisal systems in place and the client’s internal communications policy.
Establish whether extra support is offered for employees, such as a counselling service, or discounted or interest-free loans. All these factors can play a part in creating a happy and less stressed workforce, so it’s important to know the working environment when considering placing candidates.
Our business is strongly geared towards looking after the individual and we are product of what we have achieved working from that ethos. But employers too need to consider the individual and look beyond the business and the team within, if they are to contribute to lowering stress in the workplace.