Research by Legal & General using
Department for Work and Pensions
statistics and reports has revealed that
less than a fifth of employers are
taking adequate steps to provide
support for stressed
employees, despite stress
being a leading cause of
workplace absences. The
new DWP Survey,
‘Health and well-being at
work: a survey of
employers’ shows only
17% of employers have
any form of stress management
advice in place.

Legal & General has previously
looked into short and long term
absences in the workplace, showing
that: short-term stress-related
absences topped 42,000 in the three
months to December last year; and of
the 593,930 people claiming the
Employment and Support Allowance,
234,670 (39%) are doing so for
mental and behavioural disorders.

Commenting on the
findings, Diane Buckley,MD
of Legal & General Group
Income Protection
(pictured), said: “It is
concerning that 83% of
employers have no
provisions in place to deal
with stress-related illnesses.

Legal & General has developed an
effective Group Income Protection
package that offers tailored support to
absentees, many of whom are suffering
from stress-related conditions.”