Frightened to say you are stressed?

Employees fear ‘stress’ revelations will lead to sacking
Seven in ten employees admit to feeling stressed but say that they won't confess all to the boss out of fear they will wind up jobless.

The survey results by employment law firm, Peninsula also reveals that 84% of employers won’t take time off work through stress as they cannot afford to be without pay and a job.

Seventy-nine per cent of employees suffering from stress have admitted that they feel isolated by the lack of confidants to turn to, resulting in 71% who say that work related stress has a negative impact on their personal life.

And 79% believe they just don’t get paid enough to deal with the amounts of stress and responsibility they undertake as part of their job.

Peter Done, Managing Director of law firm Peninsula warned that employers who ignore the stress issue are likely to wind up at an Employment Tribunal for not conforming to legislation requirements resulting in them breaking the law.

“The well being of employees is part of an employers responsibility and obligation; stress in the workplace should be treated seriously and monitored closely once the problem has come to light.”

Done says that preventative measures can be taken to reduce the likelihood of stress emerging in the workplace.

“An employee who has a healthy line of communication with their employer can express their needs, difficulties and expectations before the problem becomes substantial. Employers should discuss the expectation of their employees in the job and discuss the workload which they place on the employee and be willing to listen to the workers feedback.”

Done also highlights the importance of proper training for managers to enable them to recognize the signs of stress.