Managers 'must be trained to help with stress'

14 August 2008

Stress affects one in five UK workers and employers must help people deal with the condition, according to one industry group.

Categories: People management  |  Learning & development  |  Health & wellbeing

Managers need to be trained to help their staff deal with stressful situations in the workplace, according to one body.

Following research by Chiumento, which revealed that only 16 per cent of employees regularly take a proper lunch break due to work pressures, a spokesperson for the International Stress Management Association has warned that firms could face problems if such issues are not dealt with properly.

She said: "Employers can start by accepting that stress is a reality and can result in long absences, if handled badly, serious illness and even death."

If stress is acknowledged, then staff will feel "valued and heard", she added.

Managers should take the time to engage with employees and ask them what they feel can be done about the situation, the representative concluded.

According to the Stress Management Society, the condition affects one-fifth of the working population and costs UK industry £3.7 billion each year.ADNFCR-1459-ID-18732447-ADNFCR

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