In the UK workplace stress is costing business in excess of £530 million p/a

Statistics released by the HSC in early November showed an alarming rise in the numbers of UK workers suffering from work related stress. On National Stress Awareness Day, and in response to the new figures, the Chair of the HSC said: “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."

The new figures show that in 2005/6:

• workplace stress related disorders such as depression and anxiety cost UK companies in excess of £530 million
• the numbers of workers seeking medical advice for what they believed to be work related stress had increased by 110,000 to an estimated 530,000.

These figures are very significant and shouldn't be ignored, and our new CDROM Workplace Health & Safety: then compliance toolkit now contains stress section that will assist you in giving your company an audit. Organisations who are working towards good working practices to tackle stress have seen a significant reduction in stress-related absence and are enjoying the savings that these good practices are affording them.