Employees Stressed More, Employers Need to Respond

Half of all sickness absence is due to stress and one in five workers is taking time off because of the problem, according to a new report. The survey from insurance firm Unum Provident, previously reported on 15 August on Workplacelaw Network (see 'Checklist for Assessing Sickness Absence Costs'), also found that the past decade has seen an explosion in employee claims for 'mental and psychological problems,' which were rare a generation ago.

The survey found that whereas in 1995 only one in eight claims were for mental illnesses, by last year the figure had ballooned to almost a quarter. Over the same time, the proportion of claims for back and neck problems and other 'traditional' industrial complaints such as breathing difficulties had fallen sharply.

A second survey from HR Gateway found nearly six out of ten (58 per cent) respondents said their own organisation was 'poor' at dealing with staff stress, compared to only 11 per cent saying responding it was 'excellent'.
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