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Work related stress is the number one reason for workers in the UK to fall ill because of their work and as a result the UK workforce is the sickest in Europe.
The HSE takes the levels of work related stress in UK work places seriously and has therefore produced a new 'White Paper' on preventing and coping with stress at work. In Health & Safety Laboratory's Updates eBulletin issued today, HS Labs explains: " 'Managing work related stress as part of a prevention culture' is a new white paper that argues why you need a proactive approach that includes tackling the organisational factors that contribute to work-related stress. Over 12 million days are lost at work a year because of stress at work. Employers have a legal duty to protect employees from stress at work by conducting a risk assessment and acting on it. The accompanying Stress Indicator Tool (SIT) is a software version of the HSE's previously only available as a hard copy which was then completed by hand. This new version of the SIT is software based and therefore can do a lot more than just the paper-based original can. However, there is a cost of some £200 for a 5 year license to use this software, and it is highly unlikely that small businesses will be prepared to pay such an amount, especially given the lack of investment in workplace health & safety or even knowledge in majority of small businesses. Indeed the Federation of Small Business objects to nearly every new piece of health and safety legislation on the grounds of cost to the business concerned irrespective of the savings on sickness levels and on prosecution and negative effects upon productivity that good management of employees health & safety provides. You can download the document in PDF format from the Unionsafety E-Library Database by clicking the pic above and choosing the search category 'Stress' and locate the document title from the alphabetical list of available documents on the subject of work-related stress. Source: Health and Safety Laboratory |
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With concerns over the low level of productivity in the the UK amongst business bodies such as the CBI and from the Tory Government; the so-called British Productivity Mystery is not so much of a mystery if you are prepared to look at the real causes - low pay, long working hours, unsocial shift patterns, and the stress placed upon workers by employers many of whom keep their workforce far too small to cope with the work flows in order to maximise their profits and in the case of smaller businesses, to maximise the business owners take-home pay!