Business Mentality

Hoping stress will go away is no longer an option. Stress at work can seem like a frightening phrase for employers – for some, ‘stress at work’ equals ‘stress related claim’, especially when you take into account that stress related litigation is rising steeply.  Then there’s the cost to the business for sickness absence and lower productivity–  the HSE states that around 13 million working days are lost annually in the UK due to work related stress, depression and anxiety. Add on top the health and safety legislation that states that you have a ‘duty of care’ for your staff, which includes protection against psychological as well as physical risks, and you can begin to see why you can no longer ignore the issue.

The picture isn’t all doom and gloom - there are practical steps that employers can take, not only to protect themselves from litigation, but to retain a committed, healthy and productive workforce.

 Every employer, irrespective if business size or legal status has a duty of care to its staff. There are 2 main regulations:

1. the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999  imposes duties on employers to assess the risk of stress-related ill health arising from work activities;
2. the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 obligates the employer to take measures to control that risk.

Presently, there is no specific law governing stress at work, however, increasing, workers are taking their employees to court to claim compensation for damage to their health caused by stress.

For many employers and managers, ‘stress' is a misunderstood term. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) has addressed this problem by developing Management Standards to help employers assess their performance in managing the key causes of workplace stress and identify areas for improvement.