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02 Nov 2007 - 16:03: National Stress Awareness Day - 7th November 2007
The International Stress Management Association UK has launched its campaign for National Stress Awareness Day 2007. ‘Stress - don’t let it get to you’’ is designed to show how easy it is for stress to damage lives - and how positive and preventative action can reverse that trend.
Excessive pressure and problems can occur in an employee's personal life as well as at work. If an employee is facing personal difficulties - it is possible that these problems may affect the employee's ability to work effectively.
Where employees are stressed because they have no say on how work is done, or need to do work that involves a fast pace and need to resolve conflicting priorities, or have a lack of recognition, understanding and support from their managers, there is a higher risk of the employee suffering a psychiatric disorder.
It is well recognised that stress reduces employee performance. Stress poses a risk to many businesses and compensation payments for stress-related injuries are rising. As recent research indicates that stress is one of the most important reasons behind sickness from work, It is becoming ever more crucial for organisations to meet the challenge by dealing the long-term causes of stress in their employees.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have indicated that:
• Stress is likely to become the most dangerous risk to business in the early part of the 21st century.
• One in five workers report feeling extremely stressed at work. This equates to 5 million in the UK.
• Self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety account for an estimated 10.5 million reported lost working days per year in Britain.
While many organisations have developed stress policies, others have found that a well-being policy or EAP is more effective in recognising the need to maximise the well-being of their employees rather than merely reduce their level of stress. Whichever scheme organisations may opt for, It is clearly evident that supporting the emotional health of employees offers tangible long term benefits.
Source www.cipd.co.uk