Employers should be thinking about what they can do to prevent their staff from becoming stressed, rather than tackling the problem when it arises, Right Corecare has said.
Kevin Friery, clinical director at the organisation, said it all comes down to the old adage of prevention being better than a cure.
He added: “Stress prevention is far better and more effective than curing it, because apart from anything else, when you cure somebody you help them get through that situation, you’re not necessarily preventing the next one.”
He advised that managers and senior staff should help to develop skills in people which help them to cope with stress, both in a work environment and in their lives outside of the workplace.
Recent research released by the London School of Economics and Political Science suggested that managers’ own appraisals should include discussion of their effectiveness in helping employees achieve a good work-life balance.