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employers in retail industry don't care about stress
A staggering 48 per cent of employees working in the retail industry believe that their employer doesn’t care how stressed they are at work, according to the results of a new independent survey commissioned by healthcare provider HealthSure.
Unsurprisingly, work-related stress continues to increase in the retail industry and remains one of the biggest issues facing employers in the modern working environment. Work-related stress now accounts for more than one third of all new incidences of ill health with each case leading to an average loss of 30.9 working days1 .
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 take its toll on physical and mental well-being resulting in a range of health problems.
James Glover, member services director at HealthSure comments: "Dealing with stress in the retail industry is a difficult issue for employers who can sometimes be genuinely unsure about what to do for the best. Nonetheless, it is very worrying to see that such a high percentage of employees don’t think that their employer cares about how stressed they are.
"It is important that employers understand the detrimental effect that stress-related sickness absence can have on a business and why they should look after the health and well-being of one of their most valuable assets."
HealthSure understands that stress can be a minefield for retail employers who are bombarded with information from a wide range of sources.
To make things easier, it has launched Stress: Work it Out a no nonsense plain English campaign that gives benefits managers, HR professionals and conscientious line managers all the information that they need to know in a clear, concise and easy to digest way.
From 24 September, retail employers can log onto www.stressworkitout.co.uk for useful, practical advice to help them deal with the issue of stress in their workplace. For further information on Stress: Work it Out please call 0845 075 0063.
1 The Health and Safety Executive 2006
For further information please contact Nadia Kassas or Victoria Moore at Mere PR on 0161 929 8700 or alternatively email nadia@mere.co.uk
