What Is Stress?

facts & figures

the hit for UK businesses

Stress is the single biggest cause of sickness absence in the UK and one of the greatest risks to business¹

12.8 million days at work were lost to stress, anxiety and depression between 2004 and 2005²

46% of employers have reported an increase in stress-related absence within the workplace³

The estimated cost of sickness absence to the British economy is around £12 billion per year⁴

This equates to approximately £1,600 per employee⁵

Stress-related sickness absence is proving costly to employers. It is having a significant detrimental effect on the productivity and performance of organisations in a wide variety of different industries.

The costs of stress to an organisation are many and varied including:

High staff turnover
Reduced work performance
Reduction in morale and enthusiasm
An increase in sickness absence overall
Reduced productivity and a detrimental impact on the bottom line
Financial costs - the true impact of stress is more than just basic salary costs

The absence from work of an individual due to stress will inevitably have an impact on those colleagues left behind to cover. Employers should be aware that this is likely to cause an increase in workload for other members of the team that may create a vicious circle eventually leading to the resignation of other valuable members of staff.

It is not surprising that considerable efforts are now being made to reduce the impact of stress in the workplace. Prevention is better than cure - the sooner that positive action is taken, the lesser the negative effects.

Many proactive employers are taking steps to tackle this silent epidemic before it leads to ill-health, high absence rates, poor staff retention and lowers their ability to compete in an already competitive marketplace.

¹ www.stress.org.uk
² www.hse.gov.uk
³ CIPD absence management survey 2006
⁴ www.hazards.org
⁵ www.connect-phc.co.uk