The Health and Safety Executive defines stress as "the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them". Stress has become an increasingly common phenomena and is a huge cost to society. It’s estimated work related stress costs about £3.7 billion every year (at 1995/6 prices) and around 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004/5.
Of course stress can be work or home related, but as an employer, under Health and Safety Law, you have a duty to protect your employees and minimise the risks they are exposed to. If an employee is off due to ill health and the court decides that you could have been able to prevent it, then you could be found to be negligent and compensation awarded to your employee.
Are you happy that you are looking after your employees stress levels? After all prevention is better than cure!
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