Stress Awareness Day '11
When was the last time you experienced stress at work?
Stress is now the most common cause of long-term sickness absence amongst employees with job security being top of the list of worries. According to a recent survey - Stress-related mental ill health is the most common cause of long-term absence for almost one in six employers (15%), according to a study of 500 employers by Group Risk Development (GRiD), the trade body for the group risk industry.
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The problem of stress appears to be worse in the public sector, with 27% of public sector employers citing this as their main cause of absence compared with 13% in the private sector. Following a year of budget cuts and redundancies, it indicates that these pressures have had an impact on the health of the workforce.
Katharine Moxham, the spokeswoman for GRiD (Group Risk Development) stated:
"In times of increased economic pressure it is important for employers to consider firstly the wellbeing of their employees and what wider implications are suggested by high levels of stress or other mental illness, and secondly what provisions they have in place to ensure both the employee and the employer are adequately protected in case of long-term absence. ‘’
As a result of high absence levels through stress, almost one in five employers (19%) stated that stress or other mental health issues are the biggest health-related problem for their business. This percentage rises to over a quarter (27%) for businesses with over 100 staff.
The TCM Group actively supports stress awareness day, since stress is a major cause and a symptom of negative conflict at work. Mediation reduces stress and anxiety by providing a peaceful and harmonious workplace. TCM also offers a toolbox to help companies assess the impact of stress/conflict - available to download in the Mediation Works white paper.
David Liddle, TCM’s founder and managing director
‘’ Stress at work is a major issue, but together we can successfully manage and prevent it. The TCM Group can help your organisation prevent work related stress and by embracing mediation and its principles, a safer and more relaxed working environment can be achieved.’’
Here are some good tips on how to avoid stress and job security worries:
- Adopting flexible working practices can make life much easier for employees. Altering working hours, allowing remote working or even just making time for an employee to attend an important family event will all be appreciated.
- Be honest if the organisation is going through a tough period. If employees know what is going on, they can pull together and will often have innovative ideas to improve the situation.
- If salary increases are difficult to provide, offer other incentives such as further training. In-house training is inexpensive and boosts morale for all concerned while employees keep their skills up-to-date, making them more valuable to the organisation.
- Learn to walk away from a stressful situation. Take a five-minute break and return with a positive attitude.
- Remember to have fun; laughter in the workplace can be a huge boost to morale.
- Understand your people. Undertake a staff survey to find out how employees are feeling and how they can be better motivated.
