Stress 'interferes with employee wellbeing'

Stress is the top threat to employee wellbeing in UK workplaces, according to new research.

Health benefits provider HSA found that 44 per cent of companies and 43 per cent of workers believe that stress has the greatest impact on staff health.

To help combat the effects of stress, 28 per cent of employees and 45 per cent of employers said that they would consider using workplace counsellors to help manage the issue.

"Stress might not be the same type of concern as an accident in the workplace, but it should still be at the forefront of employer thinking on employee wellbeing," commented Lee Nicholls, employer brand manager at HSA, according to Personnel Today.

Obesity was cited as a top concern by less than one in nine respondents. Still, 48 per cent of firms and 35 per cent of workers said that having access to a gym or time to exercise would improve their wellbeing.

Private medical insurance recently ranked second in a BUPA survey of the UK's most valued benefits.