Stress over sickness

Millions of British workers feel obliged to lie to their bosses about having to take stress-induced sick leave, new research published by mental health charity Mind shows.

According to the results of the survey, one in five workers (19%) have been forced by stress to call in sick, but the vast majority (93%) have lied to their bosses about the true reason for their absence, offering other ailments as excuses.

However, 70% of employees would prefer to be able to discuss stress with their employer.

A recent survey by the EEF employers’ body also detected a fall in the number of workers admitting to “stress” as a cause of absence.

This silence over stress is no surprise in the current economic climate, with the threat of redundancy hanging over workers. It coincides with growing evidence of widespread “presenteeism” — workers coming to work when they are ill, out of fear of losing their jobs.