Many UK businesses ignore work-related stress despite the fact it results in more than 13.5 million working days being lost every year, costing employers £38.3bn, a quarter of the UK’s total sick bill, according to The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Stress affects employees’ commitment to work, their performance, productivity and attendance levels, not to mention the cost to the business. NICE has cited bad management as the single biggest cause of the problem. Our consultants witness the negative effects stress can have on individuals and businesses on a day to day basis, which is why we urge all of our clients to tackle work related stress before it becomes a problem. So what steps can be taken to ensure stress does not affect your business?
Providing positive feedback, allowing flexible working, giving extra days off and investing in training for managers are just some of the steps NICE are asking employers to consider. These simple measures could cut the impact of work related stress by a third. Employers who don’t take stress seriously leave themselves open to compensation claims from employees who have suffered ill health from work-related stress. A former employee of the NHS was recently awarded compensation for life, after he suffered from a psychological condition that was reported to be caused by stress at work.
By introducing some simple steps you will be ensuring that stress never becomes a problem for your business or employees.