Stress keeps two thirds of UK working population awake at night
02 March 2017
A new report has revealed that one in four employees has taken time off work in the last year due to stress-related problems, a figure which has been described as an employee stress ‘time-bomb’.
The report, titled “Breaking the Cycle”, which has been published by health and wellbeing provider BHSF, warns that stress-related issues are having a major impact on workplace productivity and that almost half of employees feel unable to approach their employer about their problems.
Brian Hall, Managing Director of BHSF Employee Benefits, says:
“This report paints a devastating portrait of how professional and personal stress-triggers are directly leading to mental health issues and absenteeism on an unprecedented scale, which is, unfortunately, being chronically under-estimated by employers and is a potential time-bomb under workplace productivity.
Employees and their employers are caught in a vicious cycle, which begins with a gradual build-up of stress, both inside and outside work, leading onto job performance issues, absenteeism and ultimately long-term sick leave.”
The report highlights how productivity is being impacted when employees go into work, despite suffering from illness or mental health issues – this is otherwise referred to as ‘presenteeism’. In fact, nearly two thirds (63 percent) of the UK’s working population say that stress keeps them awake at night, leaving them physically and mentally unable to perform their duties.
What’s more, 58 percent have admitted going into work despite suffering from health or stress issues and over half of the working population admit that they feel pressure from their employer to quickly return to work in the event of illness.
However, the findings also demonstrate that the stigma of stress or mental health issues is still very much alive within the workplace. 53 percent of respondents admitted that they would not approach their employer with a mental health issue and only 17 percent of workers benefit from employer mental health initiatives.