24 September 2010
The incidence of stress related illness caused by work has steadily
risen in recent years; personal injury lawyers have reported acting
in an increasing number of cases for employees who have claims for
work-related stress. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development’s (“CIPD”) annual absence management surveys show that
stress is one of the most important reasons behind sickness caused
by work and stress-related absence. The Health & Safety
Executive have indicated that workplace stress is likely to become
the most dangerous risk to business in the early part of the 21st
century. One in five workers report feeling extremely stressed at
work. This equates to five million workers in the UK.
CIPD guidance
New guidance on how to
identify, tackle and prevent stress has recently been produced by
the CIPD, with support from the HSE, ACAS and the government’s
“Health, Work and Wellbeing” programme. The guidance summarises
employers' legal duties and discusses recent cases involving
significant compensation payments paid to employees who
successfully brought claims for work-related stress injuries.
The guidance is called: “Work-related stress: what the law says” and it encourages employers to tackle staff anxiety through good people management. It highlights the potential legal risks that organisations face by ignoring their responsibilities in this area. Copies of the guidance are available by clicking here >>
Should your firm have a stress
policy?
While many organisations have developed
stress policies, others have found that a well-being policy is much
more effective in recognising the need to maximise the well-being
of their employees rather than merely reduce their level of stress.
This approach is in line with that taken by the World Health
Organisation. Whichever approach is taken, the new CIPD guidance is
a useful source of information for employers concerned about this
problem.
Hill Dickinson has a wealth of experience in dealing with the full
range of employment and pensions issues. If you have any queries
relating to the above, or any other legal matter, please do not
hesitate to contact us
for advice.
