International Stress Awareness Week

Posted 3 years ago

Screenshot taken from our Stress Awareness Course

Stress can have a negative impact on both physical and mental health. It can also be a major cause of the development of illnesses.

In fact, from the 828,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or long-standing), 17.9 million working days are lost each year. This equated to an average of 21.6 days lost per case. This means, obviously, that stress is a huge burden to not only the individual but their employer too.

In July 2021, CIPHR conducted a survey, using Censuswide, asking 2,000 UK adults: ‘On average, how many days do you feel stressed each month?’. They found that 1 in every 14 people in the UK say they feel stressed every day. And sadly, 1 in five people feel stressed more days a month than they don’t.

Employers need to be able to recognise symptoms of stress among their workforce and begin to combat signs of it in the workplace!

What is Stress Awareness Week?

Commencing on the 1st of November, International Stress Awareness Week was made to highlight the importance of identifying, preventing and combating stress in the workplace.

The aim of the day is to break the stigma surrounding stress (and other mental health issues) and to promote the importance of stress reduction activities.

There are many ways of reducing the stigma surrounding the subject. Employers should:

Encourage employees to open up about their stress and mental health
Train employees in becoming Mental Health First Aiders
Organise team activities to give employees an occasional break from work
Obviously, there is an abundance of other ways that employers can help their employees un-stress, but that list would go on forever!

Stress Awareness Resources

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See more resources here.

Online Stress Awareness Training

We offer an IOSH & IIRSM Approved Online Stress Awareness Training course that teaches employees/managers to recognise stress in themselves and others, how to effectively reduce and prevent stress with positive steps, and gives an understanding of the mental/physical impact that stress can have on someone.

Interested in our Stress Awareness Training course? Get instant access to this course today!