Why is stress a workplace issue?
All employees within an organisation can be vulnerable to stress depending on the pressure they are under at any given time. Stress can be caused by work as well as by personal issues and problems outside the workplace (e.g. financial or domestic worries). Whatever the cause, stress can leave employees feeling unable to cope with the pressures of work with the result that performance at work suffers. A recent study commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive has indicated that: • approximately half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill • up to 5 million people in the UK feel ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressed by their work • a total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2003/4. The government aims to work with employers, employees, trade unions and others in achieving a 20% reduction in the incidence of work-related stress by 2010. Research has also shown that work-related stress can ha
