Five million British workers reported as 'at extreme stress risk'

More than five million people complain of suffering "extreme" stress in their jobs putting them at risk of a breakdown, according to a survey in the UK.

The pressures of the workplace are exacting a social and economic toll that can no longer be ignored, the report by Mind, the mental health charity, says.

Over half of Britain's workers complain of stress and take almost 13 million days off sick to recover from it.

Stress costs the UK economy £1 ($1.8) in lost productivity in every £10 generated yet fewer than one in ten companies has a policy to deal with it, Mind found.

Its report will add to pressure on the government to tackle the epidemic of mental problems in the country.

Mental illness is now Britain's biggest social problem, bigger than unemployment and "at least as important as poverty," according to Lord Richard Layard, Labour peer.

He told a seminar organised by the Downing Street strategy unit before the election that there are almost one million people with mental problems on incapacity benefit, more than are receiving job-seeker's allowance.

He estimated the total economic cost of mental illness at £25 billion, of which £21 billion falls on the public purse. Only one in two people with depression receive any kind of treatment yet it is of proven effectiveness, with a gain of £3,000 in productivity for every £1,000 spent, he said.

The prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression is becoming the leading public health challenge in the industrialised world. Three in ten people take sick leave in any one year with mental distress yet fewer than one in ten of these receive specialist treatment, such as psychological counselling, according to the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.

The Mind survey found the most stressed workers were teachers, social workers, call centre workers, prison officers and the police. Workers in the public sector suffered most stress, and "macho work environments" made it difficult for staff to admit to stress for fear of affecting their career prospects.

Richard Brook, chief executive, said: "Employers cannot afford to ignore the ever-increasing levels of occupational stress and the long hours culture of working Britain. We urge more understanding of stress and mental health problems in the workplace. Today's competitive and pressured work environments can make it very difficult for people to disclose their problems."

The report recommends companies introduce flexible hours, keeping jobs open for those off sick and allowing them a gradual return to work.

The Health and Safety Executive launched a tough new code to reduce stress at work last December. The code sets six standards, including increasing support and giving staff more control, for easing the pressure and improving the quality of life in the office and on the shop floor.

Employers who ignore the standards are at risk of legal action, the HSE said.

Last year the House of Lords awarded more than £70,000 to Alan Barber, a former head of maths at East Bridgwater secondary school in Somerset, who left with a stress-related illness after being given extra duties combined with the removal of his deputies.

The case established that an "autocratic and bullying style of leadership" that is "unsympathetic" to complaints of occupational stress are factors that courts can take into account in deciding cases.

Employers also have a duty to act if they know an employee is at risk from stress, the judges ruled.

- INDEPENDENT