Small firms are being badly hit by the effects of employee stress, with 250,000 under-pressure UK workers taking time off every day, new research has revealed.

The survey, conducted by Close Invoice Finance, found that a massive 82 per cent of British employees feel stressed at work on a regular basis, leading to health problems ranging from headaches and depression to nervous breakdowns and heart disease.

The study found that nearly a third of workers dealt with stress by exercising, while 22 per cent preferred to let off steam by socialising.

One in ten turn to cigarettes to combat stress, while 12 per cent treated themselves in the shops.

As reported by Startups.co.uk, workplace stress has become a huge problem for small businesses, with the economy losing over £1 billion a year through days taken off by depressed workers.

Small firms have particularly suffered from this trend as they do not have the same resources as their larger counterparts to deal with staff absence.

Close Invoice Finance said that employers should cut workplace stress by taking the following measures –

  • Learning to say, which can be particularly difficult for small firms who cannot afford to turn down business.
  • Delegating your workload to others wherever possible also helps, however this can be hard in smaller offices where there are fewer staff.
  • Being organised, planning your day, using lists and being realistic about what can be achieved in a given timeframe. This can stop you leaving everything until the last minute and landing yourself with an impossible workload.