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A recent survey carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has revealed that the most common reason for long-term absence from work is stress.
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A recent survey carried out by Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Simplyhealth entitled 'Absence Management Survey' has revealed that the most common reason for long-term sickness absence among manual and non-manual employees, is stress.
EssentialSkillz looks into the findings of this survey and investigates the reasons for this increasingly common workplace absentee problem.
Redundancies looming?
There's nothing like an absent carrot to keep you motivated in your job, especially in light of austerity cut backs. Affecting most industry sectors, headcounts are being analysed, job roles are being scrutinised. "Employers planning to make redundancies in the next six months are significantly more likely to report an increase in mental health problems among their staff (51% compared with 32% who are not planning redundancies)."
Public sector no longer the 'untouchables'
Organisational change and restructures are common place within public sector bodies, however in more recent times, the end result is leaving people without any form of job security. Gone are the sideways moves, the slotting of departments into other divisions. Put simply, Government cutbacks mean there is a reality that entire public sector initiatives/organisations are fast disappearing, whilst those that do manage to hold on to some kind of role will have to suffer pay freezes and pension cuts.
Public sector respondents identify the amount of organisational change and restructuring as the number one cause of stress at work. "Job insecurity is also reported as a more common cause of work-related stress in the public sector this year (24%) compared with last year (10%) and is higher than in the private (14%) and non-profit sectors (14%). Unsurprisingly, given the significant budget cuts, more than two-fifths (43%) of public sector organisations report they will be making redundancies over the next six months (compared with 17% in the private sector and 24% of non-profits."
Family unit under threat
Most families will at some point face employment dilemmas, the breadwinner loses his or her job, the smaller earner has to step into their shoes and take the helm for a while. But in recent times we are seeing occasions where both main earners are under considerable stress, to avoid losing all facets of family income. This highlights the heightened pressure many families feel under in the workplace as a result of the prolonged economic downturn. "Line managers need to focus on regaining the trust of their employees and openly communicating throughout the [any] change process to avoid unnecessary stress and potential absences. They also need to be able to spot the early signs of people being under excessive pressure or having difficulty coping at work and to provide appropriate support."
Health and wellbeing of employees needs to take priority
Never has there been more of a need to give employees adequate support and advice on their work life and personal life, especially when the pressure is on to perform individually as well as a business.
"Stress can often have a negative effect on the workplace, which can result in loss of productivity and disengaged employees. It's therefore encouraging that almost half of employers have a wellbeing strategy in place, with 73% offering counselling services and a further 69% providing an Employee Assistance Programme.
These benefits allow employees access to information and advice on workplace issues, as well as emotional, psychological and personal issues, and can be a huge help during difficult times. Employers need to ensure that benefits such as these are communicated effectively to staff in order for employees to get the most from them." Employers need to keep their staff not only motivated in the workplace, but also engaged.
Too many scenarios are evolving where businesses see this as an area that can contribute towards their cost saving strategy, when in fact, (and without stating the obvious) employee engagement couldn't be more important. "With many organisations looking for ways to save money, employee health and wellbeing shouldn't be over looked and should remain at the heart of the company. Benefits that engage employees do not have to be expensive.
By introducing a recognition scheme or equipping leaders with the skills they need to care for the health and wellbeing of their teams, employers can make small, affordable changes that make a positive difference."
Reproduced with the kind permission of CIPD and Simplyhealth.
Link to full survey findings http://www.cipd.co.uk/research/_absence-management
Links to courses available from EssentialSkillz:
http://www.essentialskillz.com/solutions/hr-e-learning/stress-e-learning
http://www.essentialskillz.com/products/o-las-assess-employee-risk-assessment
http://www.essentialskillz.com/solutions/hr-e-learning/drug-alcohol-awareness-e-learning
For a free trial of any E-Learning courses from EssentialSkillz, please go to: http://www.essentialskillz.com/free-trial
About EssentialSkillz
EssentialSkillz is a global supplier of Safety E-Learning and Risk Assessment Training Courses. Our Computer Health and Safety Software Solutions are designed to help organisations achieve compliance with DSE regulations.
Workplace Ergonomics is of paramount importance to our clients and our extensive range of courses caters for all aspects associated with Employee Risk Assessment.
For Workstation Assessment e-learning including DSE training and DSE risk assessment software, visit our website www.essentialskillz.com or subscribe to our blog by RSS or subscribe to Essential Skillz by Email.
Contact Information
Katie Brown
SMPR (Simply Marcomms Ltd)
18 Generator Hall
Coventry
CV1 4JL
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