"The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work.’ …… HSE website goes on to say that ‘Stress is not an illness, unlike mental illness – it is a state and acute in its development. If stress becomes too excessive and prolonged though, mental and physical illness may develop.
Stress, including work related stress, can be a significant cause of illness and is known to be linked with high levels of sickness absence with the average amount lost to sickness per employee in the UK is 4 a year. Stress effects staff turnover and other issues such as more errors. There is a difference between pressure and stress. Pressure can be positive and a motivating factor, and is often essential in a job. It can help us achieve our goals and perform better. Stress occurs when this pressure becomes excessive. Stress is a natural reaction to too much pressure.
How many cases of stress was documented by HSE for 2011/2012 out of the total cases of 1,073,000 cases of work related illnesses?
Prevalence of stress in 2011/12 was 428,000 cases (40%) out of total cases of 1,073 000 cases for all work-related illnesses
On average, each person suffering from this condition (work-related stress) took 24 days off work.
A total of 10.4 million working days were lost to work-related stress, depression and anxiety in 20011/12.
Does the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 include that all employers ensure that the risk of stress-related illness or injury to employees is minimised?
It is a good idea for the employers to do this to help their own business
Is stress always bad for people?
Generally our bodies are designed to have some stress. When an ‘event’ happens in our life that perhaps take us out of balance, our bodies move into a response cycle that involves the release of a stress hormone into the system. Once the body comes back into balance the stress hormone levels reduce. This is part of the normal stress response. Chronic stress is not good for the body as, amongst other things, the body is less likely to heal itself during the stress response.
Stress only occurs at work?
A person can experience excessive pressure and demands outside work just as much as they can at work. Stress tends to build up over time because of a combination of factors that may not all be work related. Conflicting demands of work and home can cause excessive stress. Problems outside work can affect a person's ability to perform effectively at work. Stressors at home can affect those at work and vice versa. For example, working long hours, or away from home, taking work home and having higher responsibility can all have a negative effect on a person’s home life – something which is supposed to be a 'buffer' against the stressful events of work. In the same way, domestic problems such as childcare, financial or relationship problems can negatively affect a person’s work. The person loses out – as do their family and their employer. It becomes a vicious circle.
Over the last 10 years a popular course offered was Stress in the Workplace, this course offered practical solutions for how employees and managers alike could find ways to reduce stress in the workplace. We have seen a trend in the recent year towards Mental Health First Aid with the introduction of the course from Mental Health England, as national Stress Awareness week draws to a close it makes us question can we really be reducing stress in the workplace when we have seen an increase in mental health conditions? Maybe its time we created a course which tackles cause and effect?