Manage pressure or have stressed staff

The President the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), has told employers they need to manage pressure placed on their staff or face having more of their employees off on sick leave.

Lisa Fowlie, the President of IOSH, speaking on ëStress Down Dayí, said that too many employers still did not understand the benefits they can gain from preventing workplace stress, and the price that their staff pay if they fail to do so.

ìChallenge is a key ingredient for any healthy workplace because meeting a challenge helps people feel relaxed and satisfied. Challenge is a good thing, but it does bring with it pressure. When pressure becomes excessive or harmful, it can lead to stress, which is a personís reaction to their circumstances.î

Lisa added that employers can reduce pressure at work relatively easily: ìMinor adjustments are often enough. Ensuring staff have a sympathetic ear, allowing more flexible working hours and adopting family friendly policies helps everyone, especially parents and those with care responsibilities.

ìYou could even consider changing the annual leave year so that it begins on each individualís date of birth. That removes the ëmad rushí at the end of the year.î

Benefits for organisations which tackle stress can include:

reduced sickness absence costs
improved staff performance and productivity
reduced staff turnover
increased customer satisfaction
enhanced organisation reputation

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), work related stress accounts for over a third of all new incidences of ill health. Each case of stress related illness leads to an average of 30.9 working days lost, and a total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004/5.

ìThose figures are particularly grim, but they fail to tell the suffering of the individuals involved. What they also donít tell is the cost to employers from sickness absence. Thatís all expense that can be avoided.î