Stress at work

In our busy 24/7 society, where most people face a range of different pressures every day, including juggling family commitments, work, and other responsibilities, the number of people suffering from work-related stress appears to be on the rise.

As many employers have made redundancies and cut the number of staff, those who do remain in a company or organisation can often face an increased workload, which can in turn lead to more stress developing, particularly in people who are not good at coping with more responsibility and increased pressure.

Stress statistics

According to the Health and Safety Executive, the government body which monitors workplace health, work-related stress, depression or anxiety is defined as 'a harmful reaction people have to undue pressures and demands placed on them at work'.

The HSE says that "well-designed, organised and managed work is good for us but when insufficient attention to job design, work organisation and management has taken place, it can result in work-related stress."It usually develops because a person is unable to cope with the demands being placed on them. As we know, stress, including work related stress, can be a significant cause of illness and is known to be linked with high levels of sickness absence, staff turnover and other issues such as making more errors in a job.

The latest estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in the UK show the total number of cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2014-15 was 440,000, a prevalence rate of 1,380 per 100,000 workers. The number of new cases was 234,000, which is around 740 per 100,000 workers, but, interestingly, the estimated number and rate have remained broadly flat for more than a decade.

Lost work days

The total number of working days lost due to the condition in 2014-15 was 9.9 million days, and this equals an average of 23 days lost per case, or person.

The survey shows that in 2014-15, stress accounted for 35% of all work-related ill health cases and 43% of all working days lost due to ill health.

Another interesting finding is that stress is more prevalent in public service industries, such as education, health and social care, and public administration and defence. In terms of occupation, jobs common across public service industries (such as health, teaching, business, media and public service professionals) show higher levels of stress when compared to all jobs as a whole.

The survey also found that the main work factors cited by respondents as causing work-related stress, depression or anxiety were:

• Workload pressures, including tight deadlines
• Too much responsibility
• A lack of managerial support.

'Tipping point'

Psychologists agree that stress can hit anyone at any level of a business or organisation, and recent research shows that work-related stress is widespread and is not confined to particular sectors, jobs or industries.