Pictured above: Peter Maskell

Stress at work is a major cause of sickness absence and worries over job security in the workplace spill over into the home environment as families fear the worst but hope for the best, says Peter Maskell, chief executive of not-for-profit insurer BHSF.

Commenting on the way in which job security anxiety impacts on business performance, Peter said: "Increasingly, responsible employers are looking for ways of supporting their employees during these troubled times.  

"Although there are a few signs of economic recovery in some UK business sectors, there is no doubt that many people in employment still face considerable uncertainty about their future", he said.  

"Many companies are exploring ways of reducing their cost base - and this usually results in a variable degree of downsizing.   

"In the current economic climate, the worry over job losses is compounded by the shrinking job market and the lack of opportunity to secure alternative employment.

"This combination of factors inevitably impacts on business performance. Employers feel the strain as they struggle to remain competitive while simultaneously striving to inspire confidence in their workforce about the future prosperity of their business".  

He said that employees can become distracted from their day-to-day work activities due to concerns over job security and increasingly, responsible employers are looking for ways of supporting their employees during these troubled times.  

Providing access to stress counselling services is one way of addressing this complex issue and this can range from telephone support and helplines through to targeted, face-to-face counselling. 

In some situations, for example when an employee is on sick leave with stress symptoms, referral to an Occupational Health (OH) professional can be invaluable.  

He added that the OH professional will be able to provide confidential  advice to the employee while also providing constructive feedback to the employer on how best to achieve a successful return to work - often in collaboration with the employee's GP.

The OH professional will have a detailed understanding of the factors that contribute to a successful return-to-work programme based on their knowledge and experience of working with employers in a wide range of public and private sectors.  

"A successfully implemented return-to-work programme has benefits for both the employee and the employer - a real "win win" situation.

"Employers will often have to seek outside professional help in putting together this type of programme and this can mean dealing with several different stakeholders". 

For many years, Birmingham-based BHSF, which for many years has contributed to workplace health in the Midlands, is offering a 'one stop shop' for employers. 

It has pulled together OH services, absence management platforms and initiatives such as helplines, to manage workplace stress.

Aimed initially at the SME market' BHSF now helps employers with as many as 7,000 employees and in most is able to save the employer money as well as improving the experience for employer and employee alike. 

Peter said: "In one recent case study a budget of £1600 translated to an immediate fall in absence repaying the investment tenfold. In another the cost of stress counselling was reduced by over 80 per cent.

"With the CBI/Pfizer Absence and Workplace Health survey due out soon, it will be interesting to see how the 'received wisdom' suggests employers should proceed.  

"In the meantime, with the government initiatives around Fit Notes stalled through lack of cash, the presence in the welfare to work space of organisations like BHSF is essential if employers are to tackle workplace ill health," he said.