According to the research, carried out by employee benefits magazine and health plan provider HSA, 47% of UK businesses believe that stress is a key cause of sickness absence. However, when it comes to larger firms, which have more than 10,000 employees, this figure rises to 64%. Amongst public sector organisations it is 86%. Despite this, 63% of all firms do not have a strategy in place to reduce stress in the workplace. 

In 2007, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) reported that more than 13 million days are lost each year as a result of work-related stress, costing the UK £3.7 billion a year. Smaller businesses are in a better position to tackle the problem on account of the closer relationships between owners, managers and other key members of staff than are seen in larger companies. In addition, the FPB's Health & Safety Guide can help owner-managers to put in place policies and procedures to help make the workplace a stress-free environment. 

"An increasing number of calls received by the FPB's member helpline relate to problems of staff absence due to stress. For many entrepreneurs, it is frustrating because there are often no physically identifiable symptoms," said the FPB's Senior Member Services Representative, Philip Moody. "Losing key members of staff is felt more acutely by the owners of small businesses, and in turn, this causes them to suffer from stress. It is important to ensure that stress-related health issues are dealt with correctly." 

Glenn Rhodes, of HAS, accused large companies of neglecting their responsibilities and failing to protect the health of members of staff: "Stress has increasingly become an issue for organisations. Despite this, many seem to be burying their heads in the sand over the problem," he said. "This is especially prevalent within larger organisations, which suffer more sickness absence from stress, yet almost half have no strategy in place to tackle it."