While there are many causes of ill-health that can affect businesses, stress is the second most common cause of workplace ill-health, affecting over half a million people annually. And setting up a new business is stressful, not just for you but for your workers too.

Recent research from the Chartered Management Institute and Workplace Health Connect shows how stress can affect business performance. Of the 1,500 managers surveyed, 38% said they had problems concentrating and 58% said they were unproductive at least 20% of their working time. Added to that, only half of managers consider themselves to be in good health and six out of 10 reported that illness rates in their organisation have increased over the past 12 months.

Unfortunately, stress is also often overlooked as a health and safety problem by many businesses. This may be because it can take time for obvious physical symptoms to show themselves. There are a few warning signs everyone is able to look out for such as changes in sleeping patterns or weight, increased susceptibility to colds and other infections, muscular pains or skin problems. However, it is also important to remember that these symptoms may be caused by other illnesses, so if in doubt it is always advisable to see a doctor.

What most businesses don‘t realise, however, is that a happy and healthy work environment can actually deliver tangible business benefits and save money. In fact, work-related illnesses have been shown to cost a business as much as 10% of its overall payroll costs, or on average £1,200 each time a worker is on sick leave. This is money that could be spent on marketing, training or even hiring another employee.

“Not looking after one of your business‘s most valuable asset – your workers – can harm your business in more ways than one,” says Hugh Kelly, London service manager for Workplace Health Connect. “If people are regularly off work because they are ill or injured, you may not be able to meet order deadlines, therefore failing to meet client expectations.

“Regular injuries at work can also lead to escalating insurance costs, which in turn have to be covered in your pricing to clients, so you may not be offering the best value for money.

“On top of this, employees may begin to question whether you care about them, your best workers may begin looking elsewhere for jobs, productivity drops off and you could miss out on new business opportunities,” he added. “Knowing your health and safety responsibilities surely makes good business sense.”

Workplace Health Connect suggests the following simple, practical steps that all businesses can take:

  • Review the work environment to identify potential stress factors that could affect workers and see if there are ways to remove them. Speak to workers to get their views

  • Create clear job descriptions and make sure everyone knows their roles so they feel in control of their jobs
  • Tackle work overload or underload by looking at targets and revising them so they are realistic. You may also want to consider changing people‘s workload or providing time management training to help employees prioritise workloads
  • Encourage staff to talk through worries and concerns with managers and ensure managers take a sympathetic and supportive approach
  • Introduce a buddy scheme to minimise stress by creating a fun and supportive working environment. Each employee has a mentor with whom they can discuss work as well as any domestic sources of stress