Category: Health and Safety for Contractors

Employers have been urged to take steps to reduce stress among their workers, including freelance contractors.

The first move is to educate staff about the symptoms and signs of stress, so they can recognise them in themselves and colleagues, said Neil Shah, director of the Stress Management Society.

"Sometimes when people are very stressed, they don't even know that they're stressed," he commented.

"They might recognise that they are not sleeping well or feel irritated but they may not attribute that back to stress."

People who have stress but do not deal with it are likely to become tired and irritable, the expert continued.

It will affect their personal life so must be dealt with, Mr Shah urged.

Figures from mental health charity Mind have revealed that one in ten people have visited their GP for support, with nearly a third (28 per cent) admitting to working longer hours in recent months.

Posted by Daniel Frost