"Stress is likely to become the most dangerous emerging risk to business in the early part of the 21st century." (Association of Insurance and Risk Managers 2000) Below are some key legal cases that have resulted from Stress in the UK.
- 1995 heralded the first major successful Stress case in UK legal history with an award of £175,000 in compensation paid to John Walker. It is believed the total costs were in the region of about £500,000.
Since this date, we have seen numerous other cases including:
- An award of £300,000 made in May 2000 to a teacher who had experienced a nervous breakdown as a result of stress at work.
- An award of £67,000 was made by Birmingham City Council.
Employers in the UK are bound by statutory health and safety legislation and by their common law duty of care. Jenny Beacon, the past director general of the Health and Safety executive states "Under existing law, employers have a clear duty to ensure their employees' health. That is a preventive duty" The legislation Acts include:
- The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work regulation 1992
However employers may be most vulnerable to litigation through breach of the civil law duties, therefore, endangering the health of their employees through stress.
Stress Management is a term no longer thought of as alternative or unnecessary but a phrase being embraced by companies across the country; the realisation is that ensuring an employee’s wellbeing is now a pre-requisite for performance and retention and an employer’s duty.
Now is the time to act, R U Stressed can help with these issues. We offer:
- Stress Assessments
- Stress Management Training Seminars/ Workshops
- Individual Stress Advice
- Practical & Holistic Solutions tailored to suit
- Ongoing Consultancy
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