The majority of work-related stress claims had durations of 6 to 59 days or over 121 days. To reduce work-related stress means reducing illness, pain and suffering for people and improving productivity and corporate results for business. Work-related stress is often reflected in a person's behaviour. Typical behavioural changes that indicate stress are reduced performance, deteriorating relationships, indecisiveness, irritability, absenteeism and health complaints with symptoms ranging from boredom, insomnia, fatigue, depression, listlessness, diarrhoea, cramps, constipation, palpations, itching, confusion to an inability to concentrate and feelings of being overwhelmed. The following are extracts from the Code of Practice on Workplace Violence issued by the WorkSafe Western Australia Commission in November 1999.
Workplace violence is an action or incident that physically or psychologically harms another person.
It includes situations where employees and other people are threatened, attacked or physically assaulted at work. Non-physical violence, such as verbal abuse, intimidation and threatening behaviour, may also significantly affect a person's health and well being. Threats may be perceived or real and there does not have to be physical injury for the violence to be a workplace hazard. Employees may be affected by workplace violence, even if they are not directly involved. Hazard Identification Identify situations where employees and visitors to the workplace may be subjected to workplace violence.