Stress Management

Work-related stress accounts for over a third of all new incidences of ill health. Each case of stress-related ill health leads to an average of 30.9 working days lost. A total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004/5.

Employers are required by law to ensure that employees do not become ill as a result of their work and stress is becoming increasingly recognised as a significant factor that can contribute to employee ill-health.

Your duties as an employer are to comply with:

• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to assess the risk of stress-related ill health arising from work activities; and
• Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to take measures to control that risk. Doing a proper risk assessment for stress should help you avoid prosecution and litigation. In support of this Health in Business can help you meet your compliance requirements through the provision of:
• On-site Stress Management training programs
• Immediate appointments with cognitive behavioural therapists, counsellors and psychologists
• On-going case management and rehabilitation strategies

Effectively addressing workplace stress is known to reduce staff turnover, absence, sickness and customer complaints. It can also lead to increased employee morale and improved performance at work.