Lack of adequate stress support

Research by Legal & General using
Department for Work and Pensions
statistics and reports has revealed
that less than a fifth of employers are
taking adequate steps to provide
support for stressed employees,
despite stress being a leading cause of
workplace absences. The new DWP
Survey, ‘Health and well-being at
work: a survey of employers’ shows
only 17% of employers have any form
of stress management advice in place.

Legal & General has previously
looked into short and long term
absences in the workplace, finding
that short-term stress-related
absences topped 42,000 in the three
months to December last year; and
of the 593,930 people claiming the
Employment and Support Allowance,
234,670 (39%) are doing so for
mental and behavioural disorders.
Commenting on the findings,
Diane Buckley, MD of Legal &
General Group Income Protection,
said: “It is concerning that 83% of
employers have no provisions in
place to deal with stress related
illnesses. Legal & General have
developed an effective Group
Income Protection package that
offers tailored support to absentees,
many of whom are suffering from
stress-related conditions.”