Stress management support for UK workers is on the rise, new research has revealed.
According to a study commissioned by PMI Health Group, 40 per cent of employers now offer stress management benefits such as EAPs and counselling – up from 36 per cent last year1 and 25 per cent in 20132.
“Stress and mental health issues are not uncommon in the modern workplace but if these are not managed effectively they can have an extremely negative impact upon mental wellbeing, affecting productivity, morale and a company’s bottom line,” said Mike Blake, PMI Health Group Director.
“Employers are increasingly recognising this fact and with stress cementing its status as the number one cause for long-term UK sickness absence for non-manual workers3, their efforts to tackle the problem look set to continue.”
The research findings also suggest stress management benefits are growing in popularity among employees. Fourteen per cent of workers selected counselling services and Employee Assistance Programmes among their top three most valued benefits, compared with just nine per cent in 20134.
Blake added: “Counselling intervention has been shown to be particularly effective for treating and reducing sickness absence while improving employee wellbeing, reinforcing both the moral and business case for its provision.”
www.pmihealthgroup.co.uk
1PMI Health Group Employee Benefits Index 2014
2, 4PMI Health Group Employee Benefits Index 2013
3CIPD Absence Management Survey 2014