Over half a million individuals in Britain believed in 2006/07 that they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill.
It has been estimated that self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety account for an estimated 13.8 million reported lost working days a year in Britain in 2006/07.
The NHS is the third largest employer in the world and the largest in the UK.
Stress is responsible for 30 per cent of sickness absence in the NHS, costing the service an estimated £300m to £400m per year.
An average of 31 days are lost for each case of stress.
Employees who do not suffer from stress are happier and more productive. Dealing with workplace stress will result in reduced sickness absence, better performance, improved commitment and reductions in accidents.
Staff who are not stressed will value their time at work.
Productivity will be highest where employee well-being forms part of the corporate philosophy and culture of the organisation. Senior managers must be committed to the idea that staff are their organisation's most valuable asset.
Stressed staff are also likely to be less customer-focussed, so dealing with stress can improve the patient experience - and patient outcomes.
Direct improvements can be significant. For example, reductions in waiting times and the ability to see more patients.
Financial benefits
Work-related stress has serious financial implications for organisations. Stressed staff will take more sick leave; apart from the affect on services this will leave gaps that need to be filled, often through overtime or agency staff.
Investment in stress reduction can be shown to be effective. For example, on average, stress accounts for around 30 per cent of a trust's sickness absence bill.
Courts have awarded significant amounts to employees who have suffered from work-related stress: one local authority's bill for costs and compensation was around £500,000; others have paid £100,000 and £67,000 in compensation.
Staff turnover
Staff who suffer from work-related stress are less likely to stay with the organisation. Not only will this lead to higher recruitment costs, but it will also mean more costs in training new staff as well as the hard to quantify losses caused through the departure of experienced staff.
