Take time out for Stress Down Day
Licensees are being invited to get behind the Samaritans' Stress Down Day on February 1 - a national campaign aimed at encouraging people to take better care of their health at work.
According to a survey carried out ahead of the week, more than half of people say their jobs are getting more stressful and that work is overtaking their home lives.
And caterers are among the most stressed people in the workplace, with more than 40 per cent saying they feel unsupported at work - compared with people in health, education, banking and finance, most of whom claim they receive adequate support.
The Samaritans' Joe Ferns said: "Job-related stress has a serious and unrecognised impact on the health of the nation and the economy, affecting concentration and efficiency. Thirteen million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2005 at a staggering cost of 3.7 billion to UK plc.
"Positive workplaces are a big factor in keeping everyone emotionally healthy. There is not enough openness and that is what Stress Down Day is all about; encouraging employers and employees to speak out and discuss problems before they escalate."
Young employees (18-24 years) are most vulnerable to stress, with 38 per cent feeling less likely than all other age groups to talk openly to their managers and 57 per cent unable to talk to colleagues.
For more details visit www.stressdownday.org.
Samaritans Stressed Out survey also shows that:-
1 49% of people are worried about the affect stress is having on their health, compared with 44% of people last year
2 32% of workers feel their employers turn a blind eye to the problem of stress and 43% feel their bosses try to get as much out of them as possible, regardless of their stress levels
3 Over half have seen colleagues cry over pressure and 83% would rather say they were sick with flu or another problem rather than admit they were stressed
4 There is still a large gender imbalance when it comes to sharing domestic stress; with three quarters of women in the UK taking sole responsibility for domestic tasks
Professor Cary Cooper of Lancaster University, an internationally recognised expert in the field of workplace stress, said: "These results really disturb me. Shouldn't we be managing people by reward and praise rather than by fault finding and bullying?
"We know that dealing with difficult people issues can be lonely and frustrating. The message from Samaritans is that you are not alone. Employees need more support from work colleagues and line managers and everyone needs coping skills to help them deal with everyday pressures."
Samaritans is experienced in workplace issues and provides a 24 hour confidential support service by phone and email. The charity also runs WorkLife, a training course to tackle stress in the workplace and provide practical skills for managers and team members. Log on to www.samaritans.org for more information. A CD-ROM of the course is also available.
Samaritans surveyed 2,100 adults in the UK and 500 adults in the Republic of Ireland, through nfpSynergy between the 12th and 30th November 2007. Samaritans is encouraging people to wear their slippers to work on Stress Down Day, to find out more about the day and how to buy Samaritans' exclusive monster slippers visit www.stressdownday.org.
