Chill out this February
It’s time to chill out – but not by going out in the snow!
Samaritans has named today (February 6) its third ‘Stress Down Day’ in a bid to raise awareness of work-related stress. *
The charity is encouraging businesses to allow their staff to spend time doing a stress-free activity in return for a donation to support their 24-hour helpline. Suggested activities include wearing slippers at work, creating a stress-free zone in the office and selling smoothies.
These days we are under increasing pressure, both at work and in our personal life, but how we manage it is crucial. According to the CIPD’s Absence Management Survey Report 2008, stress is the number one cause of long-term absence among non-manual workers.
The Health and Safety Executive describes stress as ‘the adverse reaction people have towards excessive pressure, or other types of demand placed on them’. ** While stress isn’t actually a medical condition, the symptoms are often unpleasant, debilitating and can lead to health problems.
Signs of stress include nausea, indigestion, tiredness, insomnia, anxiety and depression. More seriously, stress can cause conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes. But whatever the ailment, it can affect people differently and for various reasons.
FirstAssist – one of the market leaders in the provision of health and wellbeing products and services – provides Westfield Health’s 24-hour counselling and advice line, which offers policyholders round-the-clock access to specialist teams of qualified and experienced counsellors, lawyers and medical staff.
Marcia Chambers, Manager of the Counselling Department at FirstAssist, said: "Stress onset by financial or debt-related concerns is well known to be the single biggest cause of individual stress.
"The impact of this on work performance and absenteeism is costing UK companies more than £12 billion a year in lost revenue.
"It is normal for people under financial strain to suffer intense stress resulting in physical and emotional trauma. The results of this trauma can manifest themselves in a variety of ways including relationship problems, depression, heart problems and alcohol or drug dependency. Such distress in a person’s home life is likely to impact upon their performance at work."
It is important for employers to manage workplace stress by putting in place policies to enable line managers to identify and, where possible, prevent mental health problems.
But Westfield Health’s latest annual survey of 510 adults found that 67 per cent of respondents did not have access to any stress support services through their employer.
Marcia Chambers said: "Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) can provide a useful service in helping individuals to recognise the signs of stress, manage the effects of stress and learn how to deal with the day to day workplace issues more effectively in the future.
"Admitting you can’t cope and asking for help can be very difficult, so talking to a trained and independent counsellor can make this first step much easier. A counsellor will help view your concerns differently by breaking them down in to much more manageable portions and supporting you as you regain control and self confidence again."
In addition to the 24-hour counselling and advice line, which is available on most of Westfield’s health cash plans, the corporate Foresight and Chamber Plans also offer up to six face-to-face counselling sessions, which enable policyholders to talk through issues in person with a trained counsellor.
For more information on the Advantage Health Cash Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/corporate-health-plans/advantage/index.asp
For more information on the Good4you Health Cash Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/individual-health-plans/health-cash-plan.asp
For more information on the Foresight Health Cash Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/corporate-health-plans/foresight/index.asp
For more information on the Chamber Primary Health Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/corporate-health-plans/chamber/index.asp
For more information on the Westfield Flex Health Cash Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/corporate-health-plans/flex/index.asp
For more information on Stress Down Day, visit www.stressdownday.org
References
**Employee Benefits Magazine’s ‘How to Manage Workplace Stress’, June 2008
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