Stress, anxiety and depression are the most common form of work-related sickness

At the end of last year the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published its annual statistics for work related ill-health and workplace injuries for 2021/22. The figures showed that there were 914,000 cases of stress, depression and anxiety and this made up around half of the overall number of workers suffering from a work-related illness. This was the most common category of work-related sickness, accounting for 51% of cases, with higher than average rates in the public administration, defence, health, social work and education sectors.

The report also found that the effects of the pandemic were a major contributory factor to work-related mental ill health with 77% of the illnesses caused or made worse by Covid-19. Prior to the pandemic, working days lost due to self-reported stress, depression or anxiety had been fairly stable, but the rate from the last report shows a significant increase. These increases are serious not only to the individuals concerned, but also for the organisations they work for and the country as a whole with 17 million working days being lost due to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety in 2021/2022.

On a daily basis, employees can experience stress from a range of workplace activities and stressors, such as deadlines, communication problems or workload pressures. Continued high levels of stress can have a serious impact on the physical and emotional health of employees, in some instances, leading to cases of high blood pressure, anxiety and depression. As well as the impact on their physical and mental health, stress can also affect their behaviour, performance and work relationships.

Whilst it’s impossible for all sources of stress and anxiety to be alleviated, leaders need to tackle workplace stress head-on. Taking steps to counteract its effects and create a more positive work environment will not only increase employees’ levels of job satisfaction and wellbeing, but will also help a business run more efficiently and effectively moving forward.