Work-related stress, says the government, is the biggest occupational cause of working days lost through injury or ill-health. Running at over 13 million days a year, it estimates that it costs society about £3.7 billion a year. In 2001/2, over half a million individuals in Britain experienced work-related stress at levels that made them ill.
Timed to coincide with National Stress Awareness Day, the publication of the Management Standards for Work-Related Stress puts forward a continuous improvement model for organisations throughout the UK.
This, according to the HSE, includes a benchmarking tool to help managers gauge stress levels, compare themselves with other organisations, and work with employees to identify solutions.
But the Standards are not new regulations. Employers already have a statutory duty to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work and to assess for health and safety risks, including work-related stress.
The Management Standards have been welcomed throughout the business community, with Janet Asherson of the Confederation of British Industry calling them "authoritative" and Hugh Robertson of the Trades Union Congress commenting:
"In the absence of legislation these Standards are the most effective tool that employers can use to help end the epidemic of stress related illnesses. We hope employers will work with safety representatives and stewards to use the Standards."
Acas, the UK's Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, has also produced advice on stress in the workplace. Published today, the booklet "Stress at Work" gives practical advice on handling stress issues and is available free of charge.