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Tackling Stress at work
Introduction
Work-related stress is increasingly recognised as playing a key role in the success or failure of a business.
Every job has stressful elements, and some degree of pressure is needed to keep people motivated and producing results. However, excessive levels of stress at work are liable to lead to problems such as high employee turnover, decreased performance and high levels of absenteeism. 1 Poorly managed stress can therefore have a major impact on a business, both financially and in terms of employee satisfaction.
Stress at work appears to be a widespread problem in the UK. In 2006, a Bupa Insurance survey suggested that nearly seven million Britons worry so much they consider seeing their doctor about it. 2 And, according to recent figures from the Psychosocial Working Conditions in Britain survey of 2008, about 17 percent of employees interviewed found their job very or extremely stressful. 3
The Self Reported Work-related Illness survey of 2005/06 indicated that about 420,000 people in the UK thought they had an illness caused by stress at work. The same survey showed that work related stress, anxiety or depression accounted for some 10.5 million lost working days a year. 4
Especially high levels of work-related stress were reported in the financial sector. 4
Why do employees get stressed?
At work, individuals get stressed by different things, and some will cope better than others. But excessive and uncontrolled pressure can potentially lead to health problems. 1
There are a number of things that can lead to stress among employees. These can include:5
- uncertainty and lack of control in their role
- lack of support
- excessive demands such as long working hours, high responsibility, or commitment
- boredom or lack of meaning in work
- work station problems eg noise levels, poor lighting, lack of space, extremes of temperature, bad ergonomics
- chemical hazards or fumes
- an organisational culture that doesn’t allow for signs of weakness
- repetitive tasks
- low pay necessitating overtime
Why is stress a problem?
Being stressed is part of the body’s natural response to a threatening situation. In the short term this prepares the body for action. However, continued exposure to stress can lead to negative effects.
One of the major repercussions of stress is anxiety and depression. 6 Recent research suggests that young employees with stressful jobs are twice as likely to develop anxiety and depression. 7
Stress, anxiety and depression are costly in terms of lost working days. On average, 30.1 days are lost per year for every such case. This makes stress, anxiety and depression collectively one of the greatest contributors to days lost at work due to illness – second only to musculoskeletal disorders.4
Stress has been linked with other health problems. The Whitehall studies, conducted by the University College London, demonstrated that higher strain, lower grade civil service jobs that allow less control and have less support are linked with increased levels of heart disease.8
According to the 2005/06 Self Reported Work-related Illness survey, 63,000 people reported heart disease due to work, with most cases attributed to stress. 9
Work-related stress has also been linked with metabolic syndrome – a collection of signs and symptoms including obesity, high blood pressure and a large waist size that increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 10
Stress is also associated with high blood pressure and a lowered immune response. It can also disrupt sleep patterns and affect employees’ levels of concentration and performance. 5
Benefits of lowering stress at work
As well as reducing levels of stress-related absenteeism and its related cost, there are other potential benefits to cutting stress levels in the work force. According to the Health and Safety Executive, these include:
- increased commitment at work
- increased performance and productivity
- reduction in staff turnover and desire to leave
- improvements in customer satisfaction
- improvements in image and reputation of organisation
Management Standards
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are bound to assess the risk of stress-related ill health brought about by their job. And under the Health and Safety at Work 1974 Act employees have a duty to take measures to control any such risks. 1
To help employers manage stress among their workforce, the HSE has produced a set of management guidelines. They are called the Management Standards for Work-Related Stress, and are designed to lead to high levels of health, wellbeing and organisational performance.
In summary, employers are advised to:1
- ensure employees can cope with the demands of their job and have points of contact if they have any difficulties.
- allow employees to have a say about their job so they can raise any concerns about the way they do their job
- encourage support from colleagues and superiors
- promote positive relationships at work and provide opportunities to communicate if a problem arises
- ensure employees understand their role and responsibilities, and can discuss any queries if needed
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communicate any organisational changes and provide opportunities to voice any concerns
Successfully managing stress at work involves identifying the cause of any problems, devising measures to deal with it based upon the Management Standards, and repeated assessments to evaluate their impact.1
The future
Results from Self Reported Work-related Illness surveys suggest that the prevalence of work related stress approximately doubled between 1990 and 1999. However, this appears to have stabilised in recent years. 9 Nevertheless, an estimated 195,000 people first reported work-related stress, anxiety or depression in 2005/06.
With continuing work from employees, governmental departments and health services, it’s hoped that stress at work can be brought under control, bringing benefits for both businesses and employees alike.
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1. Health and Safety executive, Work-related stress – health and safety in the workplace. Available: http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm [10/08/2007, 2007].
2. Bupa insurance, Seven million brits are making themselves ill with worry. Available: http://www.bupa.co.uk/about/html/pr/150206_worried_britons.html [13/08/2007, 2007].
3. Health and Safety executive, 2006. Psychosocial Working Conditions in Britain in 2006.
4. Health and Safety executive, Self-reported work-related illness and workplace injuries. 2007.
5. von Onciul,J., 1996. ABC of Work Related Disorders: STRESS AT WORK. BMJ, 313(7059), pp. 745-748.
6. Herbert,J., 1997. Fortnightly review: Stress, the brain, and mental illness. BMJ, 315(7107), pp. 530-535.
7. Bupa news, work stress linked to depression and anxiety - Bupa health news. Available:http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/asp/direct_news/general_health/work_stress_080807.asp [10/08/2007, 2007].
8. Marmot,M. and Brunner, E., 2005. Cohort Profile: the Whitehall II study. International journal of epidemiology, 34(2), pp. 251-256.
9. Health and Safety executive, HSE - statistics: stress-related and psychological disorders. Available: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.htm [10/08/2007, 2007].
10. Chandola,T., Brunner, E. and Marmot, M., 2006. Chronic stress at work and the metabolic syndrome: prospective study. BMJ, 332(7540), pp. 521-525.
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13.5 million working days were lost due to stress, depression and anxiety in 2007/2008.
Health and Safety Executive
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