Work Related Stress
Email Update 41
The Health and Safety Executive has reported that in 2008 13.5 million days were lost to work-related stress in Great Britain. This is a potential major cost to your business and to the economy. In these difficult times, your employees may be more prone to stress. While some stress can be a motivating factor, stress can also de-motivate employees and lead to poor work performance, which in itself represents a potential cost to your business.
On 25 February 2009 the Health and Safety Executive launched a new website to prevent work-related stress.
Peter Brown, Head of the Health and Safety Executive Health and Work Division, said “In the current economic crisis businesses are looking to save wherever possible and managing work related stress effectively could represent some significant savings.”
To read the Health and Safety Executive’s Press Release, please click on the link below.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2009/e09019.htm
The website can be accessed by clicking on the link below.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm
The website provides useful information to managers, human resources personnel and individuals. If lost productivity due to stress is a concern for your business you may wish to have a look at the website.
From a management/HR point of view, it may well be worth an investment of time to deal with the factors, or underlying causes of stress, before the employee underperforms or takes time off due to stress.
If you have an underperforming employee or an employee who has a poor absence record we would recommend that action is taken to deal with the problem at an early stage, rather than let the problem continue. It is only when the problem is addressed that solutions can be found. We recommend that you have a robust absence management policy in place so that you can deal with employees consistently and fairly. You should, however, be conscious that depending upon the employee’s individual circumstances, they may fall within the definition of a disabled person under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. If the employee has “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day to day activities”, then there is a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments.
Should you require advice and assistance in relation to any of the above issues, Just Employment Law Ltd would be pleased to assist.
