what is stress?
what is stress and how is it affecting our workplaces?
According to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), stress is described as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them’.
Some element of pressure is part and parcel of work and helps to keep performance and motivation high – but excessive pressure can lead to stress, which undermines performance and can make people ill.
Work-related stress continues to increase and now accounts for more than a third of all new incidences of ill health with each case leading to an average loss of 30.9 working days1. A total of 12.8 million working days were lost due to stress, depression and anxiety in 2005 (HSE 2005/2006).
Work can provide self-worth, purpose, structure and fulfilment. But for some, the workplace can be the cause of anxiety, worry and stress. It has been reported that 1 in 5 people find their work either ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressful and more than half a million people report they have been made ill as a result of their work1.
Employers are legally obliged to look after the health and well-being of their employees while at work and should take steps to address the risk of stress-related ill health arising from work activities2.
1www.stress-skills.co.uk
2 www.hse.gov.uk
