Stressed Workers Want Counseling

Stressed Workers Want Counseling

A survey has revealed that over half of employees in the UK - 54% - want their employer to provide a confidential counseling service to enable to them to deal with workplace stress and the effects of the recession.

The British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy's (BACP) 2010 Attitudes to Counseling and Psychotherapy survey, which was conducted with 1440 people across the UK, also revealed that:

• 29% want their employer to provide them with more emotional support to enable them to deal with stress in the workplace, whether that is caused by work, personal problems imported into work, or a combination of both.
• the desire for more support in the workplace seems to stem largely from the belief among 84% of respondents that the recession has made it more likely that people need counseling and psychotherapy. Particular issues they believed it could help with included the emotional difficulties caused by financial loss, workplace stress and relationship breakdowns.
• 78% now believe that workplace stress is an acceptable reason to seek counseling and psychotherapy, compared to just 44% in 2004.

Rick Hughes, BACP Workplace Lead Advisor, said:

"Ten years ago there was sometimes a stigma regarding accessing counseling for personal or work-related issues. Today not only do we see an increasing acceptability but also a clear demand from employees for their employers to provide some form of access to counseling services. Organisations that provide counselling services for staff overwhelmingly find this translates to a multitude of positive benefits, including reduced absence, enhanced employee satisfaction, reduced accidents and improved productivity.

"Aside from the organisational cost benefits, the moral and social responsibility helps to foster a greater buy-in and commitment from employees. The economic downturn is likely to increase presenteeism, already costing organisations twice as much as absence. The inclination to work more for less will invariably impact negatively on the emotional and psychological health of employees. Providingcounselling services for staff will go some way to mitigate these adverse effects."

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
August 2010