Why do we need to tackle stress?
Research has indicated that:
- about half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill;
- up to 5 million people in the UK feel "very" or "extremely" stressed by their work;
- a total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2003/4;
- Work-related stress costs society between £3.7 billion and £3.8 billion every year;
- CBI 2004 survey of 500 firms, found the average private industry worker took 7.2 days off sick per year;
- Nationally private sector sick-leave costs £1.75 billion with the loss of 25 million working days in 2004.
TUC Safety Representative Annual Surveys show that stress-related illness is amongst the highest causes of anxiety, time off work and physical and psychological damage:
| Risks | 2000 | 2002 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slips/Trips | 32% | 33% | 28% |
| DSE | 36% | 34% | 32% |
| RSI | 41% | 37% | 40% |
| Temperatures | 31% | 23% | 19% |
| Noise | 26% | 20% | 17% |
| Stress | 66% | 55% | 68% |
| Stress Factors | 2002 | 2004 | |
| Workload | 99.4% | 79% | |
| Staffing Cuts | 64% | 49% | |
| Change | 63% | 47% | |
| Long Hours | 55% | 37% | |
| Bullying | 28% | 27% |
More details of the above Safety Representative Surveys can be found on the TUC website.
HSE key messages on stress are:
- Work-related stress is a serious problem;
- Tackling it effectively can result in significant benefits for organizations;
- there are practical things that organizations can do to prevent and control work-related stress;
- stress is a management issue which a manager can help resolve;
- The HSE is working with businesses to enable them to manage work-related stress more effectively.
Next: What should I do about stress in the workplace?
Return to the top of the page