Huge rise in stress-related illness in the States

Tuesday 03 March 2015

There has been a significant increase in the number of States workers taking time off work because of stress.

In 2014, 10,149 days were lost due to a stress – a 62 per cent increase on the previous year. The department with the most stress-related illness was Health and Social Services – which lost 4,470 days in total to stress, a 44 per cent increase on 2013 and a 72 per cent increase over the past five years.

The Home Affairs department, which includes the emergency services, saw a stark rise – 729 days were lost through stress in 2013 but this had risen to 1,989 in 2014.

The increase in stress-related illness comes at a time when there is more pressure on the States to cut costs – departments currently have to cut two per cent from their budgets and former Jersey Post chief Kevin Keen has been called in to find more savings and efficiencies.

In total, 414 States workers (around six per cent of the total) had at least one day off through stress-related sickness last year – a 22 per cent increase on 2013. Not every department recorded a rise. Social Security, Economic Development and Ports of Jersey all recorded falls.

In response, the States said it was doing all it can to combat stress-related illness.

"We actively encourage a culture in which co-workers are supportive of one another, and initiatives such as Lean [a ‘change programme’] give staff the framework, as far as is possible, to alleviate the stress of heavy workloads through efficiencies and a focus on process and solutions," said a spokesman.

"In cases where stress is the result of difficult work environments that cannot be improved at an operational level, we offer professional services through the occupational health service, which include a 24-hour helpline, access to e-counselling, face-to-face support, online information and guidance.

"Managers and staff also introduce their own practices and techniques to help create a stress-free workplace. These include initiatives such as yoga in the workplace or participation in wider group activities like cycle challenges and the Swimarathon."

On the specific figures, the spokesman said that part of the reason for the significant increases in 2014 was because of a change in the recording process.

"If the method of recording staff absences is reviewed or changed within a department, it can lead to a perceived rise in the number of staff who are absent from work. However, this does not necessarily correspond to what is happening on the ground – often, it can simply be the case that the data is being presented differently in one year and that comparisons with previous years are therefore affected.

"This is likely to have been the case at Health and Social Services, which has recently changed its system of reporting in this area."