The potential impacts of a stressed workforce
British workers spend a third of their working life feeling stressed according to a major study, but what does this mean for businesses?
The research revealed that the average worker faces stress or anxiety for 84 days of the year, with workloads, deadlines and other factors all to blame.
Many workers do not reveal their plight, instead opting to stay silent but this often means their troubles are not dealt with.
Two-thirds of workers admitted that stress has a negative impact upon their work, and that is where issues begin for employers.
Falling levels of motivation, productivity and self-confidence mean standards can drop and companies can suffer as a result.
Lost productivity can impact upon sales and finances, especially among smaller firms, while a lack of motivation can result in missed deadlines, potentially damaging the brand in the process.
On the basis that Brits experience stress for 35% of the average 240 working days in a year, it means they will face issues for more than 28,200 hours over the course of their lifetime.
The research was published by Star Consultancy as part of a study into workplace performance and showcases the need for employers to be aware of issues their workers may be facing.
As well as potentially impacting upon the company, stress can also damage the health and well-being of individuals.
This can result in poorer performance and more sick leave which often impacts the bottom-line finances of the company.
In some cases the financial impacts can be very severe – especially at firms with very low staff numbers – resulting in the need for corporate recovery.
At these companies there is often not an individual that can take on the workload of an absent member of staff, so work is constantly lost.
The study revealed that 28% of workers feel stressed or anxious at least twice a week while 21% worry once weekly.
However, 14% fell stressed every day at work, with major consequences for their health in the long term.
Due to the potential impacts of stress, tackling it at source by identifying potential situations that could be altering an employee’s ability to work is recommended.
By Phil Smith