Latest News
30 Oct 2008
Impact of Debt on Mental Health
A recent government report highlighted the strong link between mental health & debt, which is even more relevant in today's climate of financial uncertainty. People in debt have between 2 & 3 times the rate of depression, and much higher rates of both alcohol and drug dependence.The report suggests that employers carry out annual stress & wellbeing audits, with suggestions by Professor Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology at Lancaster University, employees will be feeling particularly insecure and vulnerable
30 Oct 2008
Impact of Stress
Stress can have a direct link to physical illness, causing coronary heart disease. People reporting a stressful job were 70% more likely to develop heart disease, said a study reported in the European Heart Journal. Unfortunately, stressed individuals also tend to eat an unhealthy diet and exercise less. Learning to cope with stress is one of the easiest ways we can help ourselves. www.news.bbc.co.uk
01 Sep 2008
Growing Cost of Stress
Workplace stress costs Great Britain in excess of £530 million Statistics released last week by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) show a dramatic increase in the number of workers suffering from work related stress in Great Britain and the Chair of HSC had a stark reminder for employers on National Stress Awareness Day, "We need to make a conscious effort to tackle workplace stress as we have lost nearly 14 million working days due to stress last year. Workplace stress cannot be eliminated but must be managed with our workforces' wellbeing in mind".
- Home
- Stress Solutions
Stress Solutions: total stress prevention and management
Work Related Stress
Recent UK research reveals that...
- 70% of adults experience workplace stress
- nearly half said their stress was increasing
- estimated cost to Britain's economy: £12 billion
Companies clearly have a problem on their hands, and unless they implement practices, policies and procedures to reduce stress, it will impact their performance and ultimately their long-term success.
When asked what situations workers found stressful, the top answers were...
- travel to work
- work itself
- poor management practices
- balancing home and work
Add to that the stressors we all may encounter outside work (illness, divorce, bereavement, and financial problems) and you have a potential time bomb threatening to explode at any moment.
Stress Management
So what can be done? The role of a stress manager is twofold.
First: identify specific stressors within the workplace. A stress audit will detect areas of concern and levels of absenteeism. The audit will also indicate the levels of stress experienced within the workplace in question and these figures can be compared to current national average. Causes of stress within the workplace may be a combination of poor management, too many demands on staff, lack of control and poor working relationships. All these need to be addressed. The consequences of a stressful environment are poor physical and mental health, resulting in a high degree of absenteeism, a reduction in staff moral, and a rapid turnover of staff.
Second: implement a stress management training programme, often coupled with an Employee Assistance Scheme. An EAS can provide a range of services, such as counselling, mentoring, management training and legal advice. An EAS is usually confidential, low cost and can reduce stress and absenteeism within a few months.