To mark World Mental Health Day, Sue McHardy of RS Occupational Health looks at the importance of managing stress in the workplace
Work-related stress caused UK workers to lose 10.4 million working days in 2011/12. Stress is one of the most commonly reported causes of work-related absence cited in surveys, indeed data indicates that the performance of individual employees and the organisation as a whole can be improved by effective management of the main risk factors.
It is widely accepted that working is good for us. Pressure is seen as a positive, motivating factor, helping us perform and achieve our goals. However, employees experience stress when they perceive that the demands of their work are greater than their ability to cope.
