Workplace stress doubles UK sick days

A study undertaken by the Health and Safety Commission found that 33 million days were lost in the past year due to work-related illness. This was compared to 18 million when the survey was last undertaken in 1995.

Stress is the single biggest cause of work-related illness and the number of employees claiming to have been made ill by stress every year has nearly tripled since it was last measured in 1996.

The survey claims that the vast majority of these sick days can be attributed to a small number of employee that can take up to six months off a year because managers are reluctant to challenge their claims or help with the rehabilitation process.