Press Releases

Workplace 'Stress Epidemic' treatable by design, says Morgan Lovell

Friday 12th November 2004

Official figures show that staff absence costs British business 11.6bn a year - but new research published this week indicates that underperformance of staff when at work is a much greater threat.

Official figures show that staff absence costs British business 11.6bn a year - but new research published this week indicates that underperformance of staff when at work is a much greater threat .

On the eve of Investors in People Week 2004 (14-20 November), workplace experts Morgan Lovell today warned that this can be attributed to a stress epidemic caused by uninspiring workplaces and, in the wake of Stress Awareness Day (3 November), advised company bosses that office layout and design are frequently to blame, with simple solutions often neglected.

Andrew Bradley, MD of Morgan Lovell, London, said: "Workplace stress is commonly treated as symptomatic of a competitive market place and as such, unsolvable. But our analysis of working environments over the last ten years has shown that the physical working environment has a major impact on this kind of stress and this, happily, is something we can do something about."

"Rather than focusing on insurmountable factors such as a domineering boss, ungrateful client or excess workload, our advice is to focus on the often-neglected minutiae that leave office staff exasperated."

Morgan Lovell is concerned that the links between working environment, staff welfare and productivity have not been emphasised enough by the industry and that the many simple steps that can be taken to minimise working stress are frequently not taken.

Mr Bradley continued: "Creating a less stressful workplace does not have to mean a complete office redesign - it is actually the little things like a long walk to a printer, a lack of storage space so that our desks are piled high or working in an office with poorly-adjusted air-conditioning that can produce a stress snowball effect - leading to the widespread and costly absenteeism that we are currently experiencing in the UK."

After assessing over 100 office environments across the UK for common workplace stress-inducers, Morgan Lovell has identified the following basic steps for British business to begin combating stress in the workplace:

1. "Ensure your office has adequate breakout space - removing yourself from the immediate scene of stress for even five minutes makes a massive difference"
2. "Printers and photocopiers should be centrally located - the cumulative effect of wasted time walking back and forward from computer to printer can be significant"
3. "Sufficient storage space in logical locations - spending an hour of precious time searching for an important file hidden within one of many filing cabinets spread across the office or amongst the paper mountain on your desk is one of the most commonly-cited causes of workplace stress"
4. "Ensure appropriate climate control - and make sure it is correctly set up. Air conditioning can create a comfortable environment but if the temperature is too cold or the current too strong it can be more like trying to work in an Arctic gale"
5. "Make sure chairs are correctly adjusted - poorly set up chairs and desks are simultaneously the most neglected aspects of an employee's workspace and the biggest cause of physical discomfort in the office. Working whilst in pain is not conducive to high productivity"

Mr Bradley added: "It's imperative that company decision makers acknowledge the commercial reasons for ensuring that viable steps for minimising worker stress are taken."