Fresh Tracks Team Talk

Workplace stress - The silent epidemic
Research has shown that employers are unprepared strategically, unprotected legally, and underinsured with regard to tackling the growing phenomenon of stress in the workplace. Many simply do not understand its impact: they are either hoping it will just go away or paralysed with uncertainty as to how to handle it.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has estimated that half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill, and up to five million feel 'very' or 'extremely' stressed by their work. The HSE estimates that stress costs U.K. organisations around £3.7 billion annually.

So what is stress? According to the HSE, stress is 'The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them.'

Pressure is part and parcel of all work and helps to keep us motivated. But excessive pressure can lead to stress, which undermines performance, is costly to employers and can make people ill.

Why tackle work-related stress?
To reduce sickness absence
• Work-related stress accounts for over a third of all new incidences of ill health.
• Each case of work-related stress-depression or anxiety-related ill health leads to an average of 30.2 working days lost.
• A total of 13.8 million working days were lost to work-related stress, depression and anxiety in 2006/07.

To benefit your business
As well as reducing sickness absence costs to an organisation, tackling stress can have a positive effect on:
• Staff performance and productivity
• Staff recruitment and retention
• Customer satisfaction
• Organisational image and reputation

To comply with the law
• Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to assess the risk of stress-related ill health arising from work activities
• Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to take measures to control that risk.

How Team Building can help
Team building can play a major role in combating stress in the work environment. Many organisations still view team building as something of a luxury, as a reward for staff when business is good. This is fine; however few businesses realise that team building can have an extremely positive effect when business is not so straight forward and is particularly beneficial in times of change. A well run team building experience can be used very effectively to:

• Reduce stress and conflicts in the workplace
• Break down barriers and improve communication skills within a group
• Improve problem solving
• Improve managerial and leadership skills
• Identify strengths and weaknesses within a team

Fresh Tracks have been providing team building solutions for over 15 years; we work closely with our clients to understand their specific needs and to create a programme that is right for their group. Our team building activities can be enjoyed purely as fun or can be tailored to focus on a certain business aspect or company value, or to include a high degree of feedback if the group has some specific issues which need to be addressed.

If we can help you with any team building requirements, please contact us on 01920 822 220 or click here.

Like Chocolate? - Then you'll love the 'Chocolate Challenge^TM'
The Chocolate Challenge™ is a great, fun team building activity which simulates a complete business process from concept through to design, production and marketing. This is all done in a light-hearted and highly creative environment requiring team work, artistic and creative skills (and several kilos of chocolate!)

One of the added benefits of this activity is that you get to taste the raw ingredients and, of course, the lovely chocolate. At Fresh Tracks we use only the finest award-winning white, milk and 73% cocoa dark chocolate ethically sourced and supplied by Montezuma's. The Chocolate Challenge is a half day programme which works really well as an afternoon activity following a morning meeting or conference. Click here for more information.

Book your Chocolate Challenge event before the 31st March 2008, and we will send you a gorgeous Speciality Chocolate Box from Montezuma's Team building has never tasted so good! To claim this offer and book your Chocolate Challenge event - click here.

Review - 50 Hilarious Ways to Have Fun at Work
At Fresh Tracks our motto is "teams that play together work together" and we believe that having fun at work is important not just in creating a positive team environment, but also in raising morale, boosting confidence and reducing staff turnover.

So, our review this week is not on a book but on a fabulous little pack of cards containing hints and tips on how to make the office a fun (and less stressful) place to be! If you need a little help to liven up a dull meeting (or even to play a prank on one of your colleagues), this is for you - you'll be having so much fun you won't want to go home! This pack can be purchased for £4.99 by clicking here.

Some recent Fresh Tracks events
Chocolate Challenge - A tasty business simulation for MTV
Staff Conference & Treasure Trail - Team development with fun on the side for Housing 21 (see below)
Facilitated Team Tasks - Activity based learning for Siemens
SDI & Chocolate Challenge - Team development followed by a tasty challenge for Bayer
Cooking up a Storm - Team building to test the senses for Bayer

Continuous Improvement for Housing 21
Although Fresh Tracks has worked extensively with housing associations and not-for-profit organisations in recent years this was our first event for Housing 21, a national provider of housing, care and support services for older people. The organisation is going through a series of staff and management changes and wanted a fun but structured event in which teams from corporate services were encouraged to highlight success and plan for continuous improvement. The programme featured a fun icebreaker, a range of creative marketing presentations from the teams and finally a competitive treasure hunt around their venue with prizes and awards for a range of contributions throughout the day. Feedback on the day and subsequently has been very positive; participants felt they'd learnt something about good teamwork, how important their contribution was to the organisation and that they'd had some fun. Click here for more information on Housing 21.

If you are planning a staff conference or team building event, or simply need some ideas on how to motivate your team, do contact us on 01920 822 220 or visit www.freshtracks.co.uk.

Fresh Tracks
"Creating better workplaces"
Team Building, Motivational Activities, Event Management Solutions
Web: www.freshtracks.co.uk
Tel: 01920 822 220
Email: mail@freshtracks.co.uk

‘teams that play together, work together’