Across the UK, employers are asking more and more of their office workers.
Cutbacks and redundancies made during the first recession – between 2008 and 2009 – have put many professionals under greater pressure in recent years.
Many have been forced to do the jobs of two people, fitting an increasing amount of work into each day in order to help out their employers and safeguard their roles.
The UK”s return to recession earlier this year certainly hasn’t helped – dissuading firms from hiring the additional staff needed to alleviate this problem.
As such, workplace stress is becoming an increasingly common concern among UK office workers – and for those who are taking notice, their bosses.
With employers placing high demands on their paid employees day-to-day, it is inevitable that some will begin to suffer from this heightened pressure.
And this can lead to reduced performance levels, employee absence and even staff attrition.
Ann McCracken, vice president of the International Stress Management Association, believes all too few employers aren’t taking this issue seriously.
She noted that some larger organisations have policies, procedures and training in place, but many more are choosing to overlook the issue.
Ms McCracken explained that a recent AMC2 survey showed that fewer than 15 per cent of businesses have carried out an Organisational Risk Assessment for stress – despite this being a legal requirement.
“This topic needs to be owned by the senior management team,” she claimed.
“By working proactively, a good return on investment can be demonstrated and job strain reduced.”
Employers may not be able to afford the extra bodies they need to ensure work is properly distributed, but they can take steps towards ensuring the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of their staff.
And this simple step can lead to a happier, healthier workplace for all concerned.
