93 per cent of workers lie to bosses about stress-related absence

Date: 04/11/2010

One in five workers has taken time off for stress, but 93 per cent of these have lied to their boss about it, resulting in low staff morale, according to a study.

The study, by mental health charity Mind, shows that 70 per cent of people actually want to talk to their boss about the problem, but find stress a taboo in the workplace.

The majority (62 per cent) of workers also think their boss isn't doing enough to boost employee motivation and morale, which can lead to long-term problems in the workplace.

A report published in October by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) showed that stress–related absence from work has increased.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said: "If employees don't feel they can be honest about the pressures on them, problems that aren’t addressed can quickly snowball into low morale, low productivity and high sick leave.

"We'd urge employers to encourage a culture of openness at work so they can solve problems now, rather than storing up problems for the future."

Yesterday (November 3rd) was National Stress Awareness Day, which aimed to raise awareness of the symptoms of stress, and the International Stress Management Association urged people to 'start living – stop stressing'.  

Written by Michelle Fry

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