Employee Stress Litigation: The UK Experience

Abstract

It has been known for many years that workplace stress is costing the UK economy, and the individuals and organizations for whom they work, an enormous human resource bill (Cooper and Payne 1988). Alcohol Concern and the Centre for Health Economics have calculated that alcohol-related problems at work alone are estimated at £2.2 billion per annum in terms of sickness absence, labour turnover, premature death, and other employment costs. The British Heart Foundation Coronary Prevention Group suggest that 180000 people in the UK die each year from heart disease (500 people each day) and that heart disease accounts for 70 million lost working days each year to industry and commerce. The mental health charity MIND claims that 30–40% of all sickness absence from work is attributable to mental or emotional disturbance. The total national bill for workplace stress is therefore extremely high, estimated by some at 10% of the Gross National Product per annum (Cartwright and Cooper 1994). In addition to the health consequences for public and private sector organizations, and for the role of the human resource professional in preventing and treating stress at work, there is another looming cost-employee litigation.