The recession has had many consequences for the SME and company formation sector; an increase in the number of companies going into administration, spiraling consumer confidence and hostile market conditions. But what about the impact it has had on a company’s workers?
According to a recent survey by mental health charity ‘ STRESS’ , the number of employees who have sought medical help for issues related to stress at work has almost doubled over the past two years.
The charity asked over two thousand employees about their stress levels and impact of the work on their home life and the results were astounding; over 20 per cent said that they had visited their doctor as a consequence of work stress, 18 per cent said that they lived with the constant fear of being made redundant and over forty per cent of respondents said that their work stress level had increased over the past two years.
Entrepreneur and television personality Peter Jones says; “This has undoubtedly been one of the most stressful economic times of recent years, not only for business owners but also for their team. The key to helping your employees deal with this is communication. In this country we tend to have a culture in business where all decisions are made behind closed doors.”
“However, by keeping your staff involved in your decisions they will feel more in control of their own future, more secure and morale will be boosted. This can only be a positive thing for both your company and the wider economy.”