Stress 'an excuse for time off', say employers
Recent research has revealed that many employers believe that ‘stress’ is being used as an excuse to take extra time off work.
A survey conducted by Personnel Today and the Health and Safety Executive showed that 51% of human resource staff consider that many episodes of sick leave due to stress are not genuine.
Stress in the workplace currently results in the loss of more than 1.5 million working days each year, at an estimated cost to the economy of £1.24bn.
Roger Lyons of the trade union Amicus said, ‘Modern living and modern working places huge stress on families. Failure to recognise that is part of the problem.’
A majority of the employers questioned said that they were reluctant to raise the profile of stress, for fear that it would encourage claims.
However, small businesses are advised that employers who do not comply with their legal duty to ensure the wellbeing of staff at work could find themselves facing substantial compensation claims.