Domestic difficulties are more stressful than work pressures for 68 per cent of the UK’s workers according to a new poll. But that still doesn’t mean workplace stress can be ignored.

The research, by YouGov for consultants Croner, asked 2,770 employees to rank stress triggers in both their work and personal lives.

Top of the list was financial worries – voted for by 27 per cent – followed by relationship problems (15 per cent) and achieving work/life balance (12 per cent).

Workplace factors including workload, long hours, pay, and even a long commute were only considered the most stressful by a combined minority of 25 per cent. The remaining 7 per cent blame other factors or do not get stressed.

But when quizzed further about the workplace, only 14 per cent said they don’t get stressed at work. A heavy workload was voted as the most stressful by 24 per cent of respondents, followed by poor working relationships (14 per cent), working long hours (12 per cent), and pay and benefits (12 per cent).

Croner is reminding employers of their legal responsibilities to minimise the risk of workplace stress and warning them that failure to do so could lead to compensation claims.

Gillian Dowling, employment technical consultant at Croner, says: “Although workplace factors feature lower down our stress trigger league, stress is still a big issue for employers who must treat it as they would any other workplace health hazard.

“Responsible employers should be able to spot physical signs of stress, but what the survey results show is that domestic issues can significantly contribute to the problem. This can make it difficult for employers to identify the root cause of suspected stress and to decide whether they should take action.”

Nicola Clark, director at Investors in People, agreed. “Bosses can ill afford to ignore workplace stress as left unchecked the impact can be felt throughout the organisation,” she said.

“It’s easy to look at stress as a personal issue and, of course its effect on individuals can be very damaging.

“However, stress is also bad for business, affecting morale and motivation amongst the wider workforce, and potentially leading to increased absenteeism – all factors which impact on an organisation’s productivity and ultimately its bottom line.

“Unfortunately there is no one size fits all approach to tackling employee stress, however, managers can take simple steps to help alleviate the problem.

“Communicating regularly with employees and encouraging an open and honest dialogue makes it easier for managers to identify pressure points at an early stage. This will then enable them to offer appropriate support, for example, providing advice on how to manage workloads or arranging extra training for their employees.

“Whatever the solution, it is only by spotting the warning signs early, and addressing the problem head on, that bosses will be able to manage workplace stress and avoid the negative impact it can have both on their employees and business.”

Dowling finds that employers are often concerned about their legal requirements and how to manage workplace risks to employees when it comes to stress.

She says: “Our research shows there can be a fine line in knowing whether workplace factors are causing an employee stress, or whether factors at home could be making it harder for an employee to cope with a normal amount of workplace pressure.

“We therefore advise our clients of a few golden rules to remember. All businesses should take a proactive approach to stress issues and review the risks to their employees.

“But it is fair for the employer to assume that the employee can cope with a normal amount of pressure at work – employers are not required to ‘pry’ into an employee’s personal life.

“However, if the employee communicates, or the employer suspects, that workplace factors are to blame for stress, the employer must investigate this further and make the necessary changes to ease the pressure.”

An employer failing to manage stress could be found in breach of their duty to take reasonable care if the risks are ‘reasonably foreseeable’.

An employee with work-related stress could also claim constructive dismissal if they can show that there was a fundamental breach of contract by the employer, for example by dramatically changing terms and conditions or setting impossible sales targets.

Croner is providing the following stress management advice to employers:

• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that employers have a general duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. This includes taking steps to make sure they do not suffer stress-related illness as a result of their work




• Employers should introduce a stress policy which takes a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to preventing workplace stress




• Employers should treat stress like any other health hazard, identify who may be at risk, the extent of that risk, and what control measures need to be in place




• Classic signs that an employee may be stressed include becoming withdrawn, increased absence, working longer hours and a lower standard of work.

Further advice on identifying and managing the risk of stress is provided by the Health and Safety Executive at: HSE management standards for stress