Why is it important to manage stress?

There are a number of good reasons why it makes sense to manage work related stress effectively:

recent statistics have confirmed that work related stress is widespread in the UK working population and is not just confined to particular sectors or high risk jobs or industries.
stress is also responsible for a large proportion of alleged cases of ill health caused by work; depression and anxiety are the most common stress-related complaints seen by GPs, affecting 20% of the working population of the UK
over 10 million working days are typically lost to stress each year in the UK
stress can also:

affect a workers commitment to work
affect performance
cause accidents due to human error
lead to staff turnover and intention to leave
lead to poor attendance levels
impact on staff recruitment and retention
affect organisational image and reputation
lead to litigation

As such, the University has both a legal and moral duty to take reasonable measures to protect staff from the adverse effects of stress that may arise from work activities