Costsstress

News is added to these pages each month. Check out "More Facts" below.

Bullying - in at least 90% of cases, the source of bullying can be traced to one individual who this behaviour. The cost of bullying and resultant injury to health to employers, employees and society is estimated to be at least £12bn each year although this doesn’t appear in balance sheets. When the consequential costs (impairment to performance, sickness absence, staff turnover, family breakdown, the tribunal system, regulatory bodies, etc) are included, the annual cost to UK Plc could be as high as £30bn—equivalent to around £1,000 hidden tax per working adult per year. Can you recognise the “serial” bully? We can help you.

· British industry loses 90 million working days a year because of stress at work.

· A 25-year report, published recently in the British Medical Journal, showed that stress at work more than doubles the risk of death from heart disease.

· Workers who feel under pressure to make great efforts for little reward are at twice the risk of stress.

· Stress can also contribute to high cholesterol levels.

· Last month (Oct 2002), research among 2,000 union health and safety representatives showed that half believed stress was a bigger problem than it was five years ago, and a similar number said it had worsened in the last 12 months.

· Most employers would rather deal with the symptoms than the causes, with few offering to reduce hours or introduce flexible working hours.

· One in four people raised concerns if work was too stressful, according to a British Safety Council survey, but nevertheless a third of Britain's workforce is now affected.

Stress can be DANGEROUS - Lack of concentration can cause accidents

Stress can be COSTLY - Indecision may lose an important contract. Key people may have to leave because of ill health

Stress can be DAMAGING - Irritability may give your company or organisation a poor image

The cost of stress to British industry is £370m a year

6.5 million sick days are being taken every year as a result of stress

500,000 people are suffering from work-related stress or depression in the UK

Nearly 150,000 workers have taken at least a month off sick because of stress related illness.

[Health and Safety Executive 2001]

More Facts

Antidepressants “prevent further depression”: Research suggests that most patients treated for depression should keep taking medication after the symptoms have disappeared. A review of data, published in The Lancet, concludes that people who stay on antidepressants are half as likely as those who stop taking medication to have another bout of depression. The World Health Organisation predicts that the condition will become the second biggest cause of disability worldwide by 2020 unless progress is made in prevention, diagnosis and treatment. (The Associated Press Online 21/02/03)

Pursuit of happiness can make you sad: Despite better standards of living and health, people are no happier than they were 50 years ago, according to Richard Layard, of the London School of Economics. “Income is a source of happiness… but we should not sacrifice too much in order to increase income,” he said. Fourteen per cent of people aged 35 indicate that they have suffered a major depression, yet only 2 per cent of those over 65 recall having done so at the same stage in their lives. (The Times 04/03/03; p.6)

Stress puts teachers on long-term sick list: The number of under-pressure teachers in Wales on long-term sick leave has soared by 50 per cent in the past year, according to a survey by the Western Mail. Teachers’ leaders said the problem of stress-induced ill health in the profession was escalating. The National Union of Teachers Cymru said the survey results were a cause of concern to the union. A spokesman cited increasing workload-induced stress as a cause for the rising figures. (The Western Mail 20/03/03; p.8)

One in eight teenagers self-harm: Researchers say more than more than one in eight adolescents have deliberately harmed themselves. A study, commissioned by the Samaritans and conducted by the Centre for Suicide Research at Oxford University, indicates that youngsters are more likely to harm themselves if they have a friend who has already done so. People who harm themselves appear to have lower self-esteem than those who do not, and the two most common reasons for it are “to find relief from a terrible state of mind” and “because I wanted to die”. (BBC News Online 26/03/03)

Children driven to diet: Children as young as nine are going on diets after being taunted at school about being fat – even though many are normal weight for their age, psychologists said yesterday (31/03/03). Starting dieting early on can act as a trigger for eating disorders, they said. A study by psychologists at Leeds University found 21 per cent of girls and 16 per cent of boys of primary school age were teased about being overweight, causing loss of self-esteem. (The Independent 01/04/03; p.13)

Old counselling methods failing: Welfare professionals are failing to help disturbed teenagers because they stick to ineffective strategies such as one-to-one counselling, new research indicates. A study by Dundee University suggests that staff remain faithful to methods they like or have used for years, thus failing to give vulnerable young people the critical, effective help they need. Professor Keith Topping, director of the Intervening with Disturbed Adolescents project, appealed to education authorities and welfare agencies to keep up to date with research. (The Scotsman 03/04/03; p.9)

Laughter “could reduce pain”: Psychologists in Scotland say comedy could act as a painkiller, after they found that people listening to Billy Connolly show pain tolerance up to three times the normal level. Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University have just completed a three-year study into alternatives to anaesthetics. Dr Raymond MacDonald says, “Our study has led us to believe that listening to Connolly could aid post-operative recovery. We would like some clinical trials now to be held in hospitals to research this further.” (Ananova 08/04/03)

“Sickies” cost employers £1.75 billion: Workers “pulling sickies” cost businesses £1.75 billion last year (2002), according to an annual survey published by the CBI and AXA PPP healthcare today. Employee absence cost companies a total of £11.6 billion in 2002, and up to 15 per cent was for reasons that were not genuine. Most was caused by general illness, including workplace stress. The number of working days lost fell by 5.7 per cent. (Financial Times 28/04/03; p.6)

Women more prone to winter depression: Women are more likely than men to suffer from winter depression, according to a study published today (01/05/03). Researchers also show that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is more common among people who do not live where they were born and brought up. SAD is thought to be triggered by lack of daylight during winter and affects an estimated 500,000 people in the UK. SAD sufferers have sleep and appetite problems, low energy, food cravings and poor concentration. The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found that people with little social support were most vulnerable. (The Daily Telegraph 01/05/03; p.8)

Antidepressant controversy: Doctors and groups representing patients differ on the benefits of antidepressants. The drugs are saving lives by reducing the suicide rate, according to a report by researchers in Australia, but the public response to a BBC programme about the risks of antidepressants indicates that many people are worried. Seroxat, the most widely prescribed antidepressant in the UK, is claimed by some to trigger acts of violence, suicide and self-harm within days of treatment starting. (The Independent Online 09/05/03)

One in five stressed: A survey carried out for the Samaritans suggests that one in five people in the UK suffers stress every day. Concern over jobs and money are major causes, and many of those affected say it leaves them feeling depressed and isolated. In addition, research suggests that people with high levels of stress have an increased chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke, and many people compound the health risks by turning to alcohol and cigarettes in an effort to relax. (BBC News Online 15/05/03)

The American Institute of Stress reports that between 75% to 90% of visits to doctors are related to stress, 60% to 80% of accidents on the job are related to stress, and 40% of staff turnover is due to stress at work.

The total cost of stress in the British economy is estimated to be a staggering £5 billion a year.

Stress claims in the Australian Public Sector cost an estimated $35 million last year.

In the light of these figures it amazes me that stress management is still called a *soft skill*.
The impact on the bottom line is anything but soft.