A worker is made ill by work stress every two minutes

A worker is made ill by work stress every two minutes

Every two minutes, a worker somewhere in the UK is made ill through stress at work, the TUC has revealed. The union body says the “huge problem” of workplace stress leads to 11.3 million lost work days and accounts for 39 per cent of all work-related illness. It adds the mental symptoms of stress range from sleeplessness and listlessness through to clinical depression and suicide. The physical effects range from appetite loss and nausea through to heart damage and stroke. To coincide with the stress-themed European Health and Safety Week, which ends on 25 October, the TUC has published new advice on managing stress at work. The guidance highlights three key points: Stress is not a weakness or your fault; Don’t suffer in silence, but instead talk to someone like your union rep, a friend, your GP or a support service; and stress-related illnesses caused by work are preventable. The TUC says employers have a legal responsibility to reduce or remove anything at work that could make you ill and that includes workplace stress. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “People don’t get ill from stress because they are weak, but because employers aren’t doing enough to remove or control the causes of the stress. Pressures of long working hours and low job security are being felt in offices, hospitals, schools and shops across the country.” She added: “Much more needs to be done to stop bosses treating their staff like machines. It’s in no-one’s interests to have stressed-out workforces. People who experience high anxiety are less productive and are more likely to take time off. Anyone worried about their workload or being unfairly treated at work should join a union, to get the support they need and their interests represented at work.” The health and safety week is run by the Bilbao-based European Agency for Safety and Health (EU-OSHA) and is coordinated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK.

• TUC news release and guide to coping with workplace stress. HSE stress statistics. ETUC news release. EU-OSHA healthy work/stress webpages.