The Facts & Cost of Stress

Do you know that?

Stress costs the USA economy over $300 billion a year
Stress Costs the UK economy over £100 billion a year
500 million working days reported lost in the USA due to increased alcoholism and drug substance use brought on by stress related issues.
12.8 million reported working days are lost in the UK every year due to Stress
Over 58% of Workers now complaining of being Over Stressed
Absenteeism due to Stress is at its highest level in 7 years
It costs a business between $2000 & $13,000 to replace an average employee
It costs a business between $1 million & $1.5 million to replace a top executive
40% of job turnover is because of stress
Worldwide Increases are reported for obesity, diabetes and other diseases linked to Stress, that is costing the health care, insurance companies and workplaces millions.
90% of Doctors visits area now reported as Stress related issues.
The 35 –44 age group are the worst hit by stress due to work pressures and life changes

The cost of stress is on the increase and it is having a massive negative impact, with some staggering statistics on the real cost stress is having on the economy, in the workplace, at home and on our health and mind. It is a time bomb waiting to explode and the predictions that stress will reach epidemic proportions in the next few years are concerning to say the least.

Stress and change is happening today to most of us, at all levels, from directors, government ministers, doctors, nurses, teachers, actors/actresses, sports people, entertainers, entrepreneurs, business owners, managers, workers, mothers, young adults, students and children.

It is Time to wake up to the Stress Epidemic before it spirals out of control.

The Full Facts On The Actual ($) Cost

$300 billion, or $7,500 per employee, is spent annually in the U.S. on stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity, absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses (nearly 50% higher for workers who report stress), and employee turnover. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are dedicated to studying stress)
According to Mental Health charity Mind UK May 2005: Workplace stress costs 10% of the UK’s Gross National Product and fewer that 10% of companies have official policy to tackle it. Their report states that approx 12.8 million working days are lost in the UK every year and costing the UK economy £100 billion with 58% of workers complaining of stress.
In 2003, employer costs for employee health insurance benefits reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) averaged $1.71 per employee hour, an 11.2 increase over the $1.54 per hour average in 2002. (Source: Employment Policy Foundation, Employment Trends)
Only 45 percent (Source: BLS) of private-sector employees are covered by or participate in employer-sponsored programs, employers who provide health insurance benefits experienced on average cost of $3,80 per hour for participating employees in 2003. That cost has more than doubled in four years. (Source: Employment Policy Foundation, Employment Trends)
Alcoholism causes 500 million lost work days annually. Absenteeism among alcoholics or problem drinkers is 3.8 to 8.3 times greater than normal (Bernstein & Mahoney, op. cit.) and up to 16 times greater among all employees with alcohol and other drug-related problems. (US Department of Labor)
Cost of Hypertension (high blood pressure) due to obesity has a direct cost of $4.1 billion (US Department of Labor)
Cost of Diabetes due to obesity cost is $132 billion (US Department of Labor)
Drug-using employees take three times as many sick benefits as other workers. They are five times more likely to file a worker's compensation claim. (Strategic Planning for Workplace Drug Abuse Program)
Obesity and overweight cost: $117 billion , Direct cost: $61 billion,* Indirect cost: $56 billion (comparable to the economic costs of cigarette smoking)
Professor Cooper was speaking at the NHS Confederation's annual conference in Birmingham UK, at which he suggested that stress costs the UK the equivalent of up to 5% of its gross domestic product and rising -- US estimates suggest that stress costs the US economy US$100 billion in terms of decreased productivity and days off work.: (Main Category: Mental Health News Article Date: 20 Jun 2005 - 10:00 PST )
A recent survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows that stress is the leading cause of long term sick leave in the UK.: (Main Category: Mental Health News Article Date: 20 Jun 2005 - 10:00 PST )
The UK is not the only country in Europe to be battling with a surge in stress related problems. A recent survey of almost 16,000 employees across Europe2 showed that stress was the second biggest work related health problem, and cited by more than one in four respondents. (Main Category: Mental Health News Article Date: 20 Jun 2005 - 10:00 PST )
Employee satisfaction in the UK is among the worst. Out of 17 European countries, the UK ranked 16th in terms of job satisfaction scores. And scores have been steadily falling since 1985. (Main Category: Mental Health News Article Date: 20 Jun 2005 - 10:00 PST )

The Effects Stress can have on our Health

34 percent women and 28 percent of men in the US are now obese (Source: Economist 2007)
Ireland with a population of 4 million over 20% of men are obese (Source: Economist 2007)
England obesity rate is rising with 24% women now reported obese (Source: Economist 2007)
According to Lluminari® Landmark Study the health effects have increased significantly over the years on many other Illnesses:

1. Double the rate of heart and cardiovascular problems
2. Over Three times the rate of anxiety, depression and demoralization
3. Double the rate of substance abuse
4. Up to three times the rate of infectious diseases
5. Up to five times the rate of certain cancers
6. Up to three times the rate of back pain
7. Up to three times the rate of conflicts
8. Up to three times the rate of injuries
9. Chronic distress at work contributes to abdominal obesity

92% of young people with eating disorders don’t let anyone know they have an issue and their symptoms go unnoticed until anorexia kicks in. (GMTV (UK) 5th Feb 07)
Doctors on average have only got 7 mins per patient, no time to really deal with stress which highlights a concern on their own stress issues (GMTV (UK) 5th Feb 07)
90% of all doctor visits are for stress related issues
8 out of 10 people admit to driving under stress and anger which results in road rage, concerns more incidents will occur, some with fatal consequences (GMTV (UK) 2nd Feb 07)
71% admit they don’t concentrate when driving due to overload on their minds, which highlights concern that more accidents will happen. (GMTV (UK) 2nd Feb 07)
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), someone around the globe commits suicide every 40 seconds. In the year 2000, 815,000 people lost their lives to suicide – more than double the number of people who die as a direct result of armed conflict every year (306,600). For people between the ages of 15 and 44, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death and the sixth leading cause of disability and infirmity worldwide due to depression.
450 million people worldwide are affected by mental, neurological or behavioural problems at any given time. These problems are expected to increase considerably in the years to come. 1 in 4 persons going to health services has at least one mental, neurological or behavioural disorder. (WHO)
In the U.S., experts at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are dedicated to studying stress. They’ve found: Stress is linked to physical and mental health, as well as decreased willingness to take on new and creative endeavors. Depression, only one type of stress reaction, is predicted to be the leading occupational disease of the 21st century, responsible for more days lost than any other single factor.
More young people are taking prescription sleeping pills before going to bed due to being stressed out and not being able to sleep. The number of adults between the ages of 20 to 44 using sleep medication increased by 114% and those between the ages of 10 to 19 increased by 117%, between the years 2000 and 2005. Americans spent $2.1 billion on 35 million prescriptions for sleeping pills in the year 2004 alone (Source: Medco Health Solutions Inc: reported The Press Democrat March 6th 2007)

Workplace Stress

It’s a worldwide phenomenon. Statistics from a recent global stress research study show that increased stress is felt worldwide, and stress affects women differently than men:

A recent Roper Starch Worldwide survey of 30,000 people between the ages of 13 and 65 in 30 countries showed:

Women who work full-time and have children under the age of 13 report the greatest stress worldwide
Nearly one in four mothers who work full-time and have children under 13 feel stress almost every day
Globally, 23% of women executives and professionals, and 19% of their male peers, say they feel "super-stressed"
Absenteeism due to stress is at its highest level in 7 years
It costs a business $2000 to $13,000 to replace an average employee
It costs a business between $1 & $1.5 million to replace a top executive
40% of job turnover is because of stress
62 percent of American workers say their workload has increased over the last six months. (Source: Kronos, Inc.)
1 in 5 UK workers consider themselves to be “very” or “extremely” stressed. (Source: Department of health HSE)
The 35 –44 age group are the worst hit by stress (Source: Department of health HSE)
53 percent of American workers say work leaves them “overtired and overwhelmed”. (Source: Kronos, Inc.)
30 percent of workers say they are “always” or “often” under stress at work. (Source: National Opinion Research Center )
54 percent of workers often come home in a sense of fatigue. (Source: LLuminari® Landmark Study)
2 out of 5 workers experience distress due to too much pressure or mental fatigue at work. (Source: LLuminari® Landmark Study)
1 out of 5 workers are at risk for stress related health problems. (Source: LLuminari® Landmark Study)
1 in 10 are so tired at the end of the work day that they do not enjoy their non-work time. (Source: LLuminari® Landmark Study)
62 percent of workers don't think their employer tries to minimize unnecessary stress. (Source: LLuminari® Landmark Study)
Half of employees don't think their employer has an interest in their well-being. (Source: LLuminari® Landmark Study)
1 in 5 stated that their work regularly interfered with their responsibilities at home and kept them from spending time with their family. (Source: LLuminari® Landmark Study)
Workplace stress costs the US more than $300 billion each year in health care, missed work and stress reduction efforts. (Source: American Institute of Stress)
Workers who report they are stressed incur health care costs that are 46 percent higher, or $600 more per person, than other employees. (Source: NIOSH)
The risk of a heart attack doubled among permanent after a major round of downsizing, with the risk growing to five times normal after four years. (British Medical Journal, 2/2004)
In workplaces that underwent large-scale expansions, workers were 7 percent more likely to take sick leave of 90 days or more and 9 percent more likely to enter a hospital for some reason. (Source: National Institute for Psychosocial Medicine)
Workers in organizations that were in transition had higher than average levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, and other biochemical markers of heart disease risk. (Source: National Institute for Psychosocial Medicine)
To Date UK courts have made awards in excess of £250,000 due to companies not following the new European directives on health and safety. (Source: HSE)
In a separate survey of 1,000 UK employees by research consultancy Alternative Futures and survey specialist Ciao AG, 70% of workers want their employers to offer flexible working. (Source: Personnel Today Feb 19th 2007)
The poll by UK charity Developing Patient Partnerships showed more than a third of men and a quarter of women have a drink to cope with stress. Of the 1,000 people polled, 27% of men and 23% of women said they would light up a cigarette in such situations. Almost one third said IT-related problems were a major source of stress.
Only 23% of people said they would speak to their manager about stress. A quarter (25%) said they would be so worried about what their boss would think, they would not take time off work because of stress. But 41% of people said they would seek help from their GP.
The survey also asked people what they thought stress was. Over two thirds thought stress was simply having a "bad day", 63% said it was dealing with difficult people and 58% saw stress as having too much to do. DPP spokeswoman Dr Rosemary Anderson said: "Considering that most people - 79% - believe they have been stressed in the last year, it is worrying that they are seeking solace in alcohol and cigarettes when there are many positive things that people can do to help themselves to cope plus feel better in the long term. (Poll by UK charity Developing Patient Partnerships Thursday, 12 January 2006, 01:26 GMT)
The top causes for stress in work: (1). IT problems - 30% (2). Change in financial status/personal injury - 24% (3). Commuting - 20% (poll by UK charity Developing Patient Partnerships Thursday, 12 January 2006, 01:26 GMT)

Latest Stress Articles

Latest Articles on Stress & Mental Health Issues at Work – USA & UK

Stress causes half of UK teachers to think about quitting
Half of the UK's teachers have considered leaving teaching to escape intolerable levels of stress, research has revealed. The online poll of 823 teachers showed that two-thirds felt that their jobs were "very stressful" - More...
19 February 2007 14:17

First aid boss claims workplace stress forced him to leave HSE
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been strongly criticised after one of its senior employees claimed he was forced into early retirement by work-related stress - More...
14 February 2007 07:31

Intel loses appeal against negligence claim over work-related stress
Computer-chip maker Intel has lost an appeal against a - More...
09 February 2007 15:20

Stress may be a major contributing factor to back pain
It's certainly not all in the mind, but stress may be a major contributing factor to back pain. Sally O'Reilly reports. - More...
06 February 2007 08:00

Stressed out workers weighed down by work and finances
Work is the second most stressful aspect of life, second only to financial worries, according to a report. Half of the 2,000 employees (51%) surveyed by the - More...
01 February 2007 09:39

Further and higher education staff report stress levels are on the increase
Employees in the further and higher education sector are suffering from rising stress levels and believe management are contributing to the problem, a union survey has revealed. A study - More...
26 January 2007 10:10

Promotion 'almost as stressful as divorce' says HR survey
The challenge of a major promotion is almost as stressful as a divorce, according to research. Almost 60% of the 600 managers surveyed by global HR consultancy DDI rated promotions - More...
25 Jauary 2007 16:50

Management of traumatised employees shown to reduce sickness absence
Effective trauma management in the workplace can reduce staff absence and lead to better employee, research has shown. - More...
11 January 2007 11:00

Unpaid overtime worth £23bn in 2006
Employees in the UK worked £23bn worth of unpaid overtime in 2006, averaging an extra seven hours and six minutes a week of work, an analysis - More...
04 January 2007 09:43

Stress levels soar at family businesses
Stress levels soared at family businesses over the last year, according to research conducted by financial advisers Grant Thornton - More...
06 November 2006 10:40

Smoking tops stress-relief table
Smoking is the most common way of coping with work-related stress, a survey has revealed. The poll by online recruitment site Monster found 32% of the 2,000 workers surveyed smoked cigarettes to alleviate - More...
03 November 2006 08:00

UK workers willing to swap pay for less stress
Six out of 10 workers would consider swapping long hours for a less stressful existence, according to research from insurer Prudential. - More...
02 November 2006 09:20

Health minister Rosie Winterton urges businesses to end mental illness stigma
Government and business leaders have been discussing new ways to tackle mental health in the workplace. A conference earlier this week was part of a government 'listening exercise - More...
31 January 2007 09:54

The invisible disease
Mental health issues are often hidden by sufferers and avoided by colleagues, so how can HR tackle what is now the UK's biggest cause of sickness absence? Alex Blyth reports. - More...
12 December 2006 00:00

Personal issues outweigh work matters as employees reveal secrets of a stressful life
Seven out of 10 UK employees think personal issues are much more stressful than work pressures, a survey has revealed. The research, by online pollster YouGov - More...
01 November 2006 08:26

Employers outraged by mental health slur
Employers groups have hit back at government claims that many are "decades out of date" when it comes to dealing with mental health issues in the workplace. Last week, the government launched - More...
17 October 2006 08:00

Research shows small and medium businesses are particularly resistant to employing people who have a mental illness
Government efforts to move people off benefit and into work could fail unless employers get more support to recruit and retain staff who have mental health problems, latest research reveals - More...
16 October 2006 08:49

BT focuses on mental health as way of boosting productivity
BT has teamed up with mental health charities and the main communications unions to launch a major programme to tackle mental health problems among its 104,000-strong workforce. Although the telecoms giant - More...
10 October 2006 09:26

Learning and Skills Council research shows little is being done to keep British brains healthy
People are not doing enough to train their brains to be healthy, according to new research from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). - More...
06 October 2006 08:38

Survey proves mental health issues still taboo in UK workplaces
Employees fear their career prospects will be jeopardised if they admit they have mental health problems, according to a survey by disability insurer UnumProvident. When asked whether they believed - More...
03 October 2006 10:17

Spotlight on autumn blue
Every year around this time, employers struggle to contain the annual outbreak of autumn blues, as staff return from sunny climes to find their inboxes full and the British weather unpredictable. Some employers have come up - More...
26 September 2006 08:00

Unemployment damages physical and mental health
The adverse health effects of being out of work include higher rates of mental health problems than the general population, as well as an increased likelihood of suicide - More...
07 September 2006 08:48

Work Foundation survey shows that most people find work 'stimulating and challenging'
Meaningless jobs are a thing of the past for majority of UK's workers - More...
19 July 2006 09:19

Campaign to beat stress
NHS Employers has launched a national campaign to help combat stress in the workplace. Director Steve Barnett said work-related stress was responsible for 30% of sickness absence in the NHS, costing the service between £300m and £400m per year. - More...

Stressed staff gain weight
Overworked and stressed employees are more likely to put on weight, according to a new study from academics in Finland. The paper, Psychosocial Working Conditions and Weight Gain Among Employees, published by the University of Helsinki Department of Public Health, found that workers with bad working conditions or experiencing ‘burnout’ were more likely to eat unhealthily and not take exercise. - More...

Stress and Heart Disease
Information from WebMD Medical Reference in collaboration with The Cleveland clinic - More...

Disaster Stress May Up Heart Failure Risk
Japanese study reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association - More...

Angry Young Men Become Angry Old Men — With Heart Attacks
Study exploring how pent-up stress and energy contributes to anger and poor heart health. - More...

Stress More Toxic to Brain Than Researchers Thought
Stress causes more severe changes to the human brain than researchers used to think, but their discoveries may lead to new types of drugs for stress-related disorders - More...

New formula calculates stress cost - Stress … - effects of job stress on employee health - Brief Article Work & Family Newsbrief, Sept, 2003

Anxiety and stress-related ailments were up in the last year, say employees, as are emotional ailments like insomnia and depression. We know stress leads to a host of health problems, increased violence, workplace injuries and lower morale. But calculating the exact cost, important in order to justify programs to alleviate it, has been tough. A Canadian consulting firm, Chrysalis Performance Strategies, has developed a way to calculate that cost. Their StressCosts formula says stress is responsible for 19% of absenteeism, 40% of turnover (each loss costing from 1 1/2 to two times yearly salary), 55% of EAP program costs, 30% of short-term and long-term disability costs, 10% of the cost of covering psychotherapeutic drugs, 60% of the total cost of workplace accidents and 100% of the cost of workers' comp claims and lawsuits due to stress. Chrysalis CEO Ravi Tangri says there's just one factor that accurately predicts whether employees will be able to effectively manage stressful situations and stay healthy, and that is their sense of personal power. That tells them whether or not they have the resources and abilities to handle the issues and challenges they encounter. Its opposite is helplessness. Press release, CHRYSALIS PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES, 6-13-03 USA TODAY, 7-30-03