Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

StressLatest NewsWellbeing

Stress among staff continues to rise

by Quentin Reade 2 Nov 2004
by Quentin Reade 2 Nov 2004

The number of workers suffering from stress has increased this year, according to a survey released today by the TUC.

Three in five workers (58 per cent) now complain of being stressed at work, an increase of 2 per cent from 2002.

The main reasons cited for stress are increased workloads, change at work, staff cuts, long hours and bullying.

The fifth biennial TUC survey of safety reps reveals that stress levels vary in workplaces of different sizes and between the public and private sector. The bigger the workforce, the greater the levels of stress.

Overall, 58 per cent of workers complained of stress at work. However, that figure rose to 63 per cent in businesses with more than 1,000 employees.

Stress at work costs the UK economy £7bn each year through sick pay, lost production and NHS costs, and accounts for 6.5 million lost working days.

Stress is greater in the public sector – nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of public sector workers complained of stress at work, compared to less than half (48 per cent) in the private sector.

The survey of 4,521 safety reps offers little evidence that anything is being done to tackle the main causes of stress at work. The top five causes of stress – workloads, change, cuts in staff, long hours and bullying – are as big a problem in 2004 as they were in the previous survey from 2002.

TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, said the findings were bad news for workers and for business.

“We know that workers want a better work-life balance, yet some employers insist on trying to squeeze every last drop of sweat out of their workforce,” he said.

“Things like a failure to replace staff are bad for workers, their families and the employers’ productivity. Unless bosses start to seriously tackle stress and the causes of stress, then they will continue to lose many days every year to workers off sick and many hours of productivity from their demoralised workforce.”

Avatar
Quentin Reade

previous post
Employers must take zero-tolerance approach to using ‘private’ company cars
next post
Employers face IT skills shortage

You may also like

Workers worse off as inflation hits double figures

17 Aug 2022

Harrods threatens to use agency staff if strike...

17 Aug 2022

Personnel Today Awards 2022 shortlist: Performance Management Award

17 Aug 2022

Police officers who are violent towards women should...

17 Aug 2022

A third consider job move due to cost...

17 Aug 2022

Government plans to slash Civil Service redundancy pay

16 Aug 2022

Real wages fall at sharpest rate on record

16 Aug 2022

Degrees less important to employers with entry-level vacancies

16 Aug 2022

Employees going into office just 1.5 days a...

15 Aug 2022

PwC drops 2:1 degree class requirement

15 Aug 2022

  • 6 reasons why work-based learning is better than traditional training PROMOTED | A recent Fortune/Deloitte survey found that 71% of CEOs are anticipating that this year’s biggest business disrupter...Read more
  • Strengthening Scotland’s public services through virtual recruiting PROMOTED | This website is Scotland's go-to place for job seekers looking to apply for roles in public services...Read more
  • What’s next for L&D? Enter Alchemist… PROMOTED | It’s time to turn off the tedious and get ready for interactive and immersive learning experiences...Read more
  • Simple mistakes are blighting the onboarding experience PROMOTED | The onboarding of new hires is a company’s best chance...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+