Why Don’t We Just Tackle ‘The Stress Problem’?

Jelf Employee Benefits has highlighted the key reasons holding employees back from dealing with stress.


Mental health is estimated to cost the UK economy £37bn+* a year and this number is not going down. It is also an international problem, with data from the OECD** showing that people with mild to moderate mental illness, such as anxiety or depression, are twice as likely to be unemployed.

Fear is one of the biggest problems for Corporate UK in tackling stress. The typical British answer to most enquires about our welfare or health is “everything’s fine” when, looking at the statistics, quite clearly it’s not.  Jelf Employee Benefits believes that we need to work much harder at improving and developing a more open culture, where addressing mental health issues is seen as a positive.

The first step is for employees to seek help, however there are three main areas of which employees are fearful:

  • Going to their GP thinking they might then mark their health record and make this public at some point in the future: they won’t.
  • Going to their employer who might listen but just see them as a problem: they shouldn’t.
  • Contacting an EAP counsellor who might help them, but then contact their employer with details about their situation: they won’t.

Jelf believes that greater awareness of the role that GPs play, and a positive approach to dealing with mental health in the workplace is the way forward.   They have also identified that while there can be many causes of stress, money worries can play a significant part: leading to insomnia, high blood pressure, anxiety and severe depression.

Matthew Judge, technical director for Jelf Employee Benefits said:

“Stress remains one of the biggest causes of absence, and this is backed up by what we see in practice.


“In general, those companies that offer fewer benefits to their employees are more likely to suffer from higher absence rates. Those companies that have healthcare & protection policies in place to look after their staff, coupled with a Financial Education programme, are better placed to offer support.  Importantly, those employers that actively encourage utilisation of those benefits, and engender a culture of support, are those that suffer less with employees absent from stress.


“Stress can be difficult to identify but when it’s one of the biggest causes of absence it cannot be ignored. April’s Stress Awareness month is a great time for employers to look again at their health and protection policies and make sure they’re making full use of all the support available and their staff know about it.”

Sickness absence expert Adrian Lewis of Activ Absence agreed, saying:

“When businesses start using software to identify patterns and trends in sickness, they need to be aware that employees are not open and honest with employers when any form of stress or mental health issue is the cause.  Some staff would even rather be seen as ‘lazy’ than suffering from a mental health condition, which is why best practices and encouraging take up of benefits on offer is so important.


“In our experience, a good absence management system coupled with best HR practices, such as gentle return to work interviews, can help managers identify stress absence early on and then provide targeted help for employees in a supportive environment.  Employee benefits, good analytics and a great line manager make a formidable combination, however the biggest single area we need to change in HR is removing the stigma attached to mental health issues.  


“It’s great to see businesses like Jelf openly talking about it and encouraging a more open culture regarding mental health at work.”



Author: Editorial Team

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