The Human MOT(*)

Take the stress out School life!

We all know that stress is bad for our health but did you know it inhibits learning and concentration?

Low staff retention, poor work performance and a rise in employee complaints and sickness days are just some indications of stress in a workplace.
 
The outdated belief that stress is just a part of working life and that employees simply have to get on with it, is rapidly becoming obsolete. Employers now realise that stress can have a negative impact on performance. Furthermore, it's not an isolated problem, with as many as 70 per cent of UK adults claiming to have experienced stress in the workplace. Nearly half of those also indicated that stress levels had increased over the past 12 months, according to research commissioned by the International Stress Management Association UK (ISMA) and insurance company Royal & Sun Alliance.
 
ISMA's chair of the National Stress Awareness Day committee, Carole Spiers, says: "The figure of seven out of 10 working adults experiencing stress makes shocking reading. Organisations clearly have a massive problem on their hands which they cannot afford to ignore. Unless they implement practices to reduce stress, it will impact on their performance and ultimately their long-term success."
 
SaluVida Ltd offers a practical solution for employers to meet their obligations to employees. The approach, 'HeartMath' technology designed by Doc Childre in the USA, is a simple way to reduce the number of sick days taken for stress-related illnesses and in turn increase productivity. The tool when introduced to pupils through staff will have positive effects, reducing aggression, violence and anxiety and improving academic results.
 
Jermaine Allison-McCracken Director of SaluVida says, "This is a simple and effective answer to the 'stress mess' that seems to be at epidemic proportions. We can improve stress and anxiety in schools, allowing teachers and pupils to create an environment for learning free from accumulating stress and anxiety. We cannot afford not to break the cycle of poor performance dissolution and exclusion some of our pupils experience in schools today. Our current system provides reactive services for those in distress, our approach is a pro-active one, building a brighter future in our most disadvantaged communities as well as creating health promoting practice for individuals who engage with the programme."