University News Last updated 26 May 2023
Workplace culture has left employees responsible for their own wellbeing in the face of work-related stress, according to Professor Craig Jackson, an Occupational Health Psychologist at Birmingham City University (BCU).
Professor Jackson's comments follow a recent report from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which revealed sickness absence rates rose to 2.6% in 2022, the highest rate since 2004.
“A greater public awareness of mental health issues and increased action taken by workers to address them has come to fruition,” said Jackson. “It’s almost as if the more we are aware of stress, anxiety and depression, the more we suffer from them.”
Jackson added that stress and MSDs often go hand-in-hand.
“Stressed-out workers tend to put in more hours and tolerate sub-optimal working conditions - a double-whammy in terms of developing MSDs,” he said.
“This is not to say lower back problems in workers are all in the mind, but the brain and body are unified, and anything that impacts one will also impact the other.
“For the several thousands who have continued to work from home, or do so more now than before lockdown, they may still be using unsuitable working arrangements.”
The onus should not be on individual workers to be resilient
Jackson said that workplaces must become “fundamentally less stressful in the way they operate and do things” and added that “the onus should not be on individual workers to be resilient”.
He added that that helping workers return to work after illness is also vital.
“Some studies demonstrate that once a worker has been off sick for eight months, their chances of getting back into that job drop below 50-50 - an outcome that is neither good for the employer or employee,” he said.
Professor Jackson suggested some simple steps both workers and employers can take to help reduce long-term ill health numbers
“As with most things about our health, prevention is always better than cure,” he said. “A challenge for workers would be to take 10 minutes out to assess their workstations and request improvements when identified - and most employer occupational health services can do this.
“As well as providing suitable kit for staff, employers should implement structural changes in workplaces to reduce the sources of stress that many workers find difficult - overworking, long working hours, unpaid overtime, poor communication, and bullying.
“Perhaps most importantly, rather than making workers responsible for their ‘resilience’, organisational cultures should become less aversive. If both workers and their employers can meet these challenges, the long-term sickness rate can be reduced.”