New guidelines to help employers tackle rising levels of workplace stress were unveiled today by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Timed to coincide with National Stress Awareness Day, the standards provide advice on gauging employee stress and encouraging dialogue between workers and employers to identify solutions.
HSE advised bosses to take a structured approach to the problem by investigating the risks of workplace stress, formatting a remedial plan and carrying out regular reviews.
The Executive said work-related stress costs the economy an annual £3.7 billion although organisations such as the Trades Union Congress (TUC) put the figure far higher.
The union body claimed yesterday that three in five UK workers regularly suffer from stress with £7 billion lost to the economy every year.
HSE said in the absence of specific regulations, the new guidelines will help employers improve the lives of their staff and claw back losses from sick pay, reduced productivity and medical expenses.
Bill Callaghan, HSE chair, said: "Pressure is part and parcel of all work and helps to keep us motivated. But excessive pressure can lead to stress which undermines performance, is costly to employers and can make people ill.
"The Standards highlight the components of good organisation, job design and management that keep stress levels in check and enhance productivity."
But SME lobby group the Forum of Private Business (FPB) claimed HSE's recommendations would place an unnecessary burden on small employers.
FPB's Alison Fletcher said: "For many small…businesses having to conduct time-consuming stress audits would be a nightmare. It would hoover up valuable time would otherwise be spent on doing the vital work of actually running a business.
"Bigger firms are far better placed to space the time and manpower for new audits, bluntly small businesses are certainly not."
