Stress is not quite the silent epidemic it once was but here in the UK, our stiff upper lip mentality may mean that we’re not quite as open about it as we should be.

This month is in fact National Stress Awareness Month so there’s never been a better time for employers to take a frank look at just how much stress is impacting their business and their employees.

Stress in the workplace

We all know that we often perform well under stressful conditions – be that a tricky presentation or a difficult client conversation, and that’s because Adrenalin improves our abilities when we feel under the cosh.

We also know that everyone has a different level of tolerance to stress – some people thrive on it and others waiver under the first sign of pressure. A workplace entirely devoid of stress is nigh on impossible but employers need to keep a better check on what is an acceptable level of stress and what is intolerable.

The mental and emotional symptoms can quickly develop in to serious physical ailments and subsequently into staff absence – and the cost implications of the latter and loss of productivity have been widely documented.
 
Tackling the early signs and symptoms of stress via a complete employer wellbeing programme is simply good business practice. Not only should it help to prevent long term absences due to stress but by putting in place real solutions to tackle the problem, employees will undoubtedly feel more valued too.

The effects of stress on employees

The mental and emotional symptoms of stress aren’t the only impact on employees. If left unchecked, stress can develop into more serious long-term illnesses:

If you have chronic stress you are more likely to develop persistent cold symptoms due to the effect stress can have on your immune system (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

Stress and how you react to it can increase the risk of chronic health conditions (Annals of Behaviour Medicine)

Being under stress can lead to depression (Nature, International weekly journal of science)

If you feel anxious or stressed you may have an increased risk of heart attack (American Journal of Cardiology)

If you are stressed you can have increased anxiety levels which can lead to increased risk of stroke (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry)

Why should employers address stress in the workplace?

Stress itself can lead to a loss of focus and even productivity at work: if you’re stressed it can be hard to focus the mind on one particular task and anxiety can build with the knowledge that deadlines are looming.

Stress, either its short term presence or long-term effects, essentially makes employees unwell, meaning they could be absent from work. In the worst cases, this could be for weeks or even months depending on the severity of the condition.

Employees being absent from work obviously cost a business money, so it makes sense to address the root cause of the problem to improve employee wellbeing. What’s more is that when employees are sick they might feel like they have to come to work – especially if they are worried about deadlines or work that needs to be completed.

When employees are sick and come to work, this is known as ‘presenteeism’, and this has a further impact on individual productivity.

The actual cost of normal absence to a business according to the CIPD Absence Management Survey 2015 is £550 per employee per year, but it was suggested at the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition by Professor Cary Cooper that presenteeism costs employers twice as much!

In addition to this, if employees come to work when they are sick, they are more likely to have more health problems further down the road (CIPD Absence Management Survey 2015).

How to address stress in the workplace

Stress can often be seen as something intangible and it’s difficult to identify, but the key for employers is to provide a way for employees to deal with stress and also to offer further support, should they need it. For example, common causes of stress are financial difficulties and worries, so employers could provide education, financial advice or even counselling to help employees tackle this particular cause of stress.

Financial education workshops or online courses can help employees to understand their money habits and address them so that they can get their finances under control, and reduce their stress as a result. Another option is to provide an Employee Assistance Programme, so employees have someone impartial to talk to about their stress and the things that are bothering them.

What is key for employers is to ensure that all employees are aware of the support that is available so that they don’t have to discuss this potentially delicate issue with their line manager or colleagues to find out how they can get help.

The benefits to employees themselves are clear, but the benefits to the employer are increased productivity, reduced absence and reduced presenteeism, all resulting in cost savings.

Stress isn’t something that goes away overnight; the root causes of stress must be addressed in order for employees to work towards being stress-free. Employers are best placed to address stress and its causes, and that can make a real difference to their employees as well as their businesses.