A quarter (26%) of UK workplaces have cited stress as one of the top causes of short-term absences, according to research by Simplyhealth and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
The 24th Health and wellbeing at work report, which surveyed 1,101 HR professionals or management-level employees with HR decision-making responsibilities and involvement in, or knowledge of, health and wellbeing within their organisation, also found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents reported stress-related absences in their organisation over the last year, with heavy workloads cited as the most common cause (41%). This is followed by personal health issues (37%), and family and relationships (34%).
Just under two-thirds (64%) reported they are taking steps to identify and reduce stress in the workplace. However, only 50% think their efforts are proving effective.
In addition, 57% said they now have a wellbeing strategy in place, compared to 44% five years ago.
Dr Louise Rix, head of clinical product and operations at Simplyhealth, said: “While employers are already making strides to foster environments that prioritise employee wellbeing and ensure that when life does get on top of us, they are there to support, stress-related absence remains a growing problem, and so we must keep forging ahead to reduce these numbers. Creating comfortable environments at work is an important first step towards breaking down barriers often sensed by employees, such as fear of judgement, which prevent workers from flagging that they are having a tough time. Encouraging openness and adopting an open-door policy are just a couple of the immediate changes that employers can make to send a clear message to employees.”
Paul Schreier, chief executive officer at Simplyhealth, added: “Workplace absence costs the economy billions each year. By offering mental health benefits to employees, businesses can prevent employees from developing stress-related illness. We are proud to be included in the next phase of the Keep Britain Working review, contributing to efforts in demonstrating how employers and healthcare providers can improve access to workplace health provision, reduce absences, specifically in relation to mental ill health, and boost workplace productivity.”
