Bosses are being warned to watch out for signs of stress among their staff by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) which has launched a new website about the issue.
As the recession bites in the UK, effecting sectors such as the construction industry, managers may be putting more pressure on employees to perform.
The HSE website says workplace stress is a problem that costs organisations with 500 employees around 250 working days a year and new guidance on its website offers specific advice for directors and HR managers on what to do.
The HSE website can be found
here
In total, 442,000 people claim work-related stress made them ill last year.
'In general you should look out for unusual changes in behaviour. They might seem more tired than normal, eat and drink more or less, or not communicate as well as they usually do' said director Jane Gillham of H&S training firm Pivotal Performance.
She added: 'You may also notice they find it hard to make proper decisions or concentrate properly. And they may take more sick days. These can all be signs that you need to take some action to protect your team. It's good to challenge employees to be more productive, but managers need to be careful not to cause too much stress. It becomes a serious problem in the workplace when it affects the health of employees'.