Stress 'costs employers billions'
Updated on 05 November 2009
Stress, anxiety and depression in the workplace is costing employers billions of pounds, the NHS watchdog has warned.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) said 13.7 million working days are lost each year as a result of work-related mental illness.
This leaves employers with a total bill for lost productivity of £28.3 billion a year.
However, simple measures such as giving positive feedback and allowing flexible hours and home working could significantly improve the wellbeing of staff and help reduce the cost of absenteeism, it said.
As part of Nice's guidance on mental wellbeing in the workplace, an online calculator reveals how much employers could save by improving management and working conditions.
Professor Mike Kelly, of Nice, said: "Today's guidance explains how employers can make simple changes that will improve the management of mental health in the workplace, including prevention and early identification of problems."
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