Background
Back in the summer of 2012, an HR Director from a聽global professional services organisation asked us the聽question; how are organisations actually dealing with聽work-related stress? This was in response to her concerns聽that work-related stress was becoming a growing issue聽in her organisation.
To answer her question, our consultancy conducted聽some research amongst senior HR professionals from聽leading UK and global organisations. This research took聽the form of a detailed online survey targeted at gathering聽information on work-related stress and specifically on聽the 鈥榮ize鈥� of the issue, the main causes and solutions,聽how work-related stress is measured , who 鈥榦wns鈥� work-related聽stress and the extent of policy and budget for聽dealing with work-related stress.
Research findings
The findings of this research highlighted very clearly that聽work-related stress has increased over the past two to聽three years, with over two thirds of the responding聽organisations reporting such a rise. This increase is likely to聽be greater than that reported by HR practitioners given聽that for many employees, admitting to having work-related聽stress could be perceived as a risk to their job security聽or promotion opportunities. Indeed, one fifth of the聽respondents to the research indicated that they have no聽idea at all about how big the issue of work-related stress聽actually is in their organisation.
For many, this widespread increase in work-related stress聽is hardly surprising given the current work environment聽of heightened job insecurity and increased pressure to聽perform. Furthermore, with the main cause of work-related聽stress being identified as high workload, which can often be聽the result of people leaving and not being replaced, the link聽between the current business climate and increased聽work-related stress becomes clearer.
Despite the increase, work-related stress is only being聽actively tackled by just under half of the organisations that聽participated in the survey. Of those that do have a policy in聽place, only one third have a budget available to allocate聽resource to work-related stress. For the most part, the聽policy is only somewhat consistent across different business聽units and/or countries. This may reflect how for most聽organisations, any policies on work-related stress are not聽mainstream policies and instead are dealt with on a local聽business unit/country/team basis.
Organisational response to work-related stress
Where it is being tackled, employee assistance programmes,聽changing working conditions or stress management training聽are the most typical 鈥榮olutions鈥�. Therefore, organisations聽seem to mostly tackle work-related stress reactively in that聽it is only tackled once it has become a debilitating issue. An聽alternative approach, and one that is already being run in聽Transport for London (one of the participants to the聽research) would be to invest in training for both employees聽and managers that is focused on identifying the signs of聽work-related stress and addressing them before it becomes聽an issue that needs to be tackled. At Transport for London,聽an annual health plan has been set up that includes raising聽awareness of mental health issues, education and training聽for employees in resilience, and for managers in mental聽health, awareness and stress management. Crucially, line聽managers are very much included in this approach and聽indeed, in order for work-related stress to be tackled before聽it becomes a debilitating issue, line managers need to have聽more ownership of work-related stress rather than it being聽seen as an issue that HR 鈥榦wn鈥�, as is the current situation聽according to the research.
Perhaps one of the reasons for work-related stress not聽being addressed more widely is that it can be difficult to聽quantify and measure. In organisations where it is being聽measured, employee engagement surveys, illness statistics聽and absenteeism rates are the most commonly used聽measures. However, illness statistics and absenteeism rates聽in particular cannot be directly linked to work-related stress聽as they can mask other issues such as a lack of engagement聽or motivation. Additionally, they only measure work-related聽stress once it has become a debilitating issue rather than聽before it gets to that stage. In our view, conducting a stress聽audit or stress risk assessment should be the first action聽point in any strategy to combat work related stress. This will聽identify whether stress is actually an issue in the聽organisation. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)聽indicator tool is one of the most commonly used tools for聽assessing the risk of work-related stress1. It is important to聽highlight that the use of a stress audit must be met with聽caution as it can only provide a subjective measure of聽perceived stress within an organisation. It is, therefore,聽important to combine this data with objective measures聽such as absenteeism rates and days lost due to sickness as聽mentioned above.
The cost of stress
Linked to the inherent difficulties in measuring the level of聽work-related stress is measuring the impact of work-related聽stress. This can be measured through the impact of illness聽statistics and absenteeism rates, but what is often ignored聽is the impact of someone at work who as a result of聽work-related stress is not working as productively or聽effectively. Indeed, of the 27 million days lost due to illness聽in 2011/12, 22.7 million were due to work-related stress.聽An individual suffering work-related stress can lose an聽average of 24 days2. Stress costs UK business 拢3.7 billion聽a year3. However, this data must be read with some caution聽because people are now less likely to admit they are stressed聽due to the current economic climate. Work Foundation聽spokeswoman, Ksenia Zheltoukhova4, said: 鈥淪tress has聽fallen down the list 鈥� people don鈥檛 want to say they are聽stressed because it makes them look weak. In the聽 current聽economic situation, workers really don鈥檛 want to appear聽weak in case they lose their job, so they will come to work聽even when they shouldn鈥檛.鈥�
This suggests that stress may be a bigger issue than the聽statistics show. A study found that the phenomenon of聽presenteeism (where an individual goes to work regardless聽of poor health) may actually cost a company more than聽absenteeism as their productivity can be reduced by 33% or聽more5. Presenteeism due to mental ill health now costs the聽UK economy 拢15.1 billion, compared with 拢8.4 billion for聽sickness absence 20126.
Conclusions
Work-related stress is certainly becoming a more prevalent聽issue, especially due to the continued economic uncertainty.聽Based on our survey results, initiatives to combat this聽growing issue appear to be few and far between, with a聽limited number of policies in place and even less funding to聽enact the policies. Many policies are reactionary to already聽present stress issues, instead of being focused on actively聽tackling a problem before they become an issue.聽Furthermore, whilst evidence exists that some companies聽are conducting stress audits, most look more to data聽relating to absenteeism or sickness days which measure聽work-related stress once it has been a real issue.
Moving forward, we would like to see work-related stress聽being tackled more proactively. For this to happen, work-related聽stress needs to be taken seriously and for聽investments to be made to equip both HR and line mangers聽with the tools and support needed to both identify and聽address work-related stress. This view is shared by the聽HR Director who commissioned the research whose聽response was:
鈥淭he findings of QCG's research really highlighted聽how work-related stress is often a recognised issue but is聽not typically addressed. For us, work-related stress is an聽issue that shouldn't be ignored and I am continuing to raise聽awareness of this issue through the implementation of a聽鈥榙uty of care鈥� approach to line manager training. In addition,聽I am currently reviewing the introduction of stress resilience聽coaching with our European Works Councils鈥�.
Research Summary
QCG鈥檚 survey into work-related stress was conducted聽in 2012 and is based on the responses from senior HR聽professionals representing 15 leading UK and global聽organisations, including FITCH, Jaguar Land Rover, Kantar,聽Sainsbury鈥檚, Tesco, TNS, Transport for London and Volex.
Vicki Badham聽is a senior HR Consultant聽at QCG. She is also a聽qualified counsellor.
Bibliography
1 Guidi S, Bagnara S, Fichera GP. The HSE indicator tool, psychological聽distress and work ability. Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England).聽2012; 62(3):203-209.
2 Health and Safety Executive. New figure published for workplace ill聽health and injury. http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/hse-statistics2012.htm. Accessed 14 February 2013.
3 Business Matters. Stress costs UK economy 拢3.7BN.聽http://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/news/12807/stress-costs-ukeconomy-3-7bn. Aaccessed 14 February 2013.
4 Mitrefinch. Do falling staff sickness levels signal rise in presenteeism?.聽http://news.mitrefinch.co.uk/article.aspx?art_id=801366732.聽Accessed 14 February 2013.
5 Biron C, Brun JP, Ivers H, Cooper C. At work but ill: psychosocial work聽environment and wellbeing determinants of presenteeism propensity.聽Journal of Public Medical Health. 2006; 5(4):26-37.
6 Personnel Today. 2012: The year in HR. http://www.personneltodaycom/articles/20/12/2012/59103/2012-the-year-in-hr.htm. Accessed聽14 February 2013.