Company to Company

Eleven-hour days and no time for a break…little time for family and friends. Tired, stressed and snappy - does this sound familiar? For many employers and their staff work is very pressured and competitive; gone are the days of strictly nine to five, Monday to Friday, and long-term job security is firmly relegated to the annals of history.

Computer and Internet technology have vastly changed the pace of working, and the advent of the mobile phone has meant that we are now more available than ever. The e-mail demands instant responses and those who do not make an early start are looked upon scornfully.

It is no wonder that marriage and partnership breakdown are becoming commonplace, as stress is claiming victims with the ferocity of the silent terrorist.

Headline news in October 2006 reported some fourteen million working days lost through alcohol-related illness, with a quarter of workplace accidents as a result of alcohol. Add to these the days lost through depression and other ailments and the figure really becomes quite alarming.

A report from the Industrial Society found that seventy-four per cent of employees believe stress will be the number one health and safety issue over the next two years. Estimates of the cost to companies are in the region of one million pounds per year on average, with stress alone contributing to between thirty and fifty per cent of that figure.

However, even with the evidence so clearly indicated, the Industrial Society tell us that employers are generally slow to tackle problems with only a third monitoring workplace stress, and only twenty-four per cent with policies aimed at stress in the workplace. An increase in alcohol consumption is often an early sign of stress.

Here at the Eastbourne Clinic we have developed a new service for employers to help them manage workplace stress. By providing advice and practical help small, strategic changes can be made in the workplace leading to a reduction in absenteeism through sickness. Leading to a healthier, more content workforce who feel that their needs are being recognised.

We offer a confidential employee stress management and counselling service as well as an assessment service to highlight potential difficulties.

Together we can address the problem of stress in the workplace and it's effect on productivity and safety.

For further information about our service please don't hesitate to contact Lesley Dimond, Clinic Manager - admin@eastbourneclinic.com.