93% of you would lie about this

According to one charity, the vast majority of us would lie to our boss about this, given the choice. But what is it - and why?

The troubled economy is not just taking a toll on our wallets – it’s doing a number on our mental health too.

According to a new study, stress is now the number one reason for work absences.

Sorry boss, I’m stressed

The report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and health insurance provider Simplyhealth makes for startling reading.

It discovered that for manual workers, stress is now at the same level as acute medical conditions (things like cancer), and has even overtaken musculoskeletal issues to take top spot in terms of causes of long-term absence. For non-manual workers, it’s now ahead of acute medical conditions.

And the reason for stress becoming such a problem is at least partly down to our troubled jobs market

I need my job!

As we reported last week, unemployment is now at its highest level in 17 years. While the government talks a good game about growth and supporting business, the fact is that we still have a bit more medicine to swallow before we are going to see much improvement.

And it’s job security – or rather a lack of it – which is causing such escalating stress levels. The report highlighted that there has been a particular increased in stress-related absences within public sector organisations. Indeed, 50% of public sector respondents reported an increase. Is this any great surprise when the government has announced cuts across all sorts of public sector departments, which will inevitably lead to at least some job losses?

So despite all this job insecurity, what can we be doing to keep our stress levels, and perhaps the stress levels of those who work for us, at a healthy level? And where do you stand if you need to take time off with stress?

Sick pay

The good news is that even if you do need time off due to stress, you should still get some form of pay.

Sick pay comes in two forms – company sick pay and statutory sick pay. Many employers offer their own sick pay scheme, so obviously you will need to check the terms of your contract to be clear on just what you are entitled to. However, generally you will need to provide some form of proof of sickness if you are off for more than a week, so will need to get a doctor’s note.

Alternatively, you may qualify for statutory sick pay, so long as you are sick for at least four days in a row, and have average weekly earnings of at least £102.

For more on how sick pay works, and your rights, check out the sick pay section of the Directgov website.

A big taboo

However, just admitting that you are suffering from stress is too much for many sufferers.

A study last year by the mental health charity Mind found that while one in five workers had had to call in sick due to stress, 93% of them lied about the real reason for the absence. Instead they blamed things like an upset stomach, housing issues, and even the illness of a loved one.

The role of employers

However, an interesting result of the Mind study was that employees do not want to lie about the stress they face – 70% want to be able to discuss stress with their bosses, with a third wanting their boss to make the first move and approach them once they begin exhibiting signs of strain.

Your employer has a legal obligation to try to identify any issues the firm may be having with work-related stress – this means taking steps to identify what in the workplace may lead to stress issues, and then working out ways to prevent this causing harm to the health of employees.

Obviously, what this means in practice will vary substantially from employer to employer. However, the CIPD has put together a really useful guide on how to tackle stress problems in the office, which I reckon is worth a read (opens as a PDF).

How to keep your staff stress-free

So what should bosses be doing to keep stress among staff to a minimum? There are a number of steps employers can take to keep the workplace a happy place to be:

Train your managers to identify risks, recognise when staff are suffering from stress, and ways that they can support those employees.
Manage your employee’s workloads, ensuring that no-one is expected to deliver more than they are capable of.
If staff work away from the office, ensure there is regular communication, with monthly meetings or catch-ups. This way you may be able to identify any potential problems at an early stage.
Offer plenty of training, and even a mentoring scheme, so that new employees understand the firm, and their responsibilities. This may also give an opportunity for them to highlight any concerns they have.
Ensure your office layout is conducive to your type of work. Would quiet spaces help, or should you allow music to be played? Would space dividers be appropriate?

Of course, it’s not just your employees that you need to keep stress-free, but yourself too!

What you can do yourself

However, don’t just leave it to the boss to deal with stress issues. Here are some simple things you can do:

Get your own priorities in place, and focus on them each day – do not get caught up with what other people may think, but rather focus on what you are working towards.
Surround yourself with things that may help you to reduce your stress levels, perhaps pictures of family, or a reminder of your next goal or holiday. Identify pieces of music which relax you.
Try to exercise regularly. Not only does exercise lead to the release of endorphins, but it also helps psychologically with the raising of confidence and self-esteem.

Many thanks to Advance Performance and IGF for their help with this article.