Employers advised to tackle workplace stress
Thursday, November 5th, 2009An NHS report out today advised employers that they need to pay more attention to the levels of stress and anxiety in the workplace.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said that the cost of work related mental illness was £28bn which represents a quarter of the total sick bill for the United Kingdom.
The report suggests that poor managers were the biggest cause of problems. However it also said that simple measures such as allowing flexible working, providing staff with positive feedback and giving extra days holiday as a thank you could cut the impact by as much as a third. NICE also urged employers to invest in more training for managers and mentoring for staff to help support their career development.
Counting the cost
Workplace stress is estimated to cost U.K. employers £28.3bn a year largely due to lost productivity, paying staff whilst they are off work and replacing ill employees.
NICE has designed a cost calculator to show the potential savings of better supporting stressed staff in the workplace. It suggests that for the average firm of 1,000 staff a saving of £250,000 a year could be made.
Professor Cary Cooper, a leading expert in workplace psychology at Lancaster University helped compile the reports recommendations. He said “You cannot underestimate the importance of saying ‘Well done’ to staff, but so often it does not happen. Managers will tell you when you are doing something wrong, but not when you are doing it right.”
Recession
However, the problem is not just to do with staff taking time off from work.
“Presenteeism, where people come to work but add no value, is if anything more of a problem, especially during a recession. People are so scared that they go to work when they are not fit to” said Professor Cooper.
A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) revealed that nearly a quarter of workers in the UK describe their own mental health as either moderate or poor, yet nearly all of them continued to work regularly.
The recommendations were welcomed by the government’s national director for health and work, Dame Carol Black who produced a report advising employers to take more of an active role in promoting good health for their employees back in 2008, saying that it provided “clear, practical advice to promote mental well-being”.
Who should take action?
Employers in organisations of all sizes – in larger organisations this might include chief executives and board members, human resources directors and senior managers.
Trade unions and other employee representatives – this will usually be the owner-manager and in medium-sized businesses the business manager.
What action should they take?
Adopt an organisation-wide approach to promoting the mental wellbeing of all employees, working in partnership with them. This approach should integrate the promotion of mental wellbeing into all policies and practices concerned with managing people, including those related to employment rights and working conditions.
Ensure that the approach takes account of the nature of the work, the workforce and the characteristics of the organisation.
Promote a culture of participation, equality and fairness that is based on open communication and inclusion.
Create an awareness and understanding of mental wellbeing and reduce the potential for discrimination and stigma related to mental health problems.
Ensure processes for job design, selection, recruitment, training, development and appraisal promote mental wellbeing and reduce the potential for stigma and discrimination. Employees should have the necessary skills and support to meet the demands of a job that is worthwhile and offers opportunities for development and progression.
Employees should be fully supported throughout organisational change and situations of uncertainty.
Ensure that groups of employees who might be exposed to stress but might be less likely to be included in the various approaches for promoting mental wellbeing have the equity of opportunity to participate. These groups include part-time workers, shift workers and migrant workers.
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