Employers must be more mindful of workplace stress
The psychological risks in a workplace must receive just as
careful health and safety considerations as physical risks, a new
guide to workplace stress has claimed.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
produced the guide with support from the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE), and said that employers and HR departments must
recognise the importance of combating or preventing undue stress in
the workplace.
They pointed out that employers run significant legal risks if
they do not pay the issue sufficient attention. CIPD senior public
policy advisor, Ben Willmott, said the effects of workplace stress
can also have serious negative implications on productivity.
"Employers that fail to manage stress effectively risk losing
key staff through high absence levels and employee turnover," he
explained. "They will also suffer from low staff morale and risk
higher levels of conflict and accidents in the workplace. In
addition, they potentially face costly personal injury claims, as
well as damage to their employer brand."
The HSE's head of work environment, Peter Brown, said some
pressure at work can help but too much can quickly become a
problem: "When the pressure individuals are under exceeds their
ability to cope, it becomes a negative rather than a positive
force."
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence claims
that 13.7 million working days are lost annually from work-related
mental health conditions such as stress, costing £28.3 billion per
annum. The new guide provides advice on how employers can implement
good staff management to improve the overall health of their
workforce.
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