Stress barrier

Strathclyde University is suffering from an outbreak of 1984-speak, in which the word "stress" has been replaced by "staff well-being". Staff committee minutes reveal growing concern about stress levels. But talks about stress management may have to take a different tone in future.

"The chairman explained that the term staff well-being had been adopted to incorporate stress in its various forms and to encapsulate the whole picture. The use of the word 'stress', if used generically, might serve as a barrier to communication," said the minutes.