Employee benefits: Offer staff incentives to let them know they are appreciated

Date: 07/06/2011

Reward staff with incentives and recognition to ease workplace stress and let them know they are appreciated, an expert has recommended.

Recent research from mental health charity Mind says that 41 per cent of employees say they are stressed or very stressed in their jobs, Employment Benefits reports.

This means that the workplace is more stressful than money, marriage or health worries.

And the reason for stress, says Amy Whitelock, senior policy officer at Mind, is excessive workloads, unrealistic targets, frustration and bad management.

Ms Whitelock pointed out that these factors were a symptom of the economic pressures at the moment.

"That pressure is being passed on to employees and is resulting, in some cases, in depression, anxiety or other mental health problems," she told the news provider.

"Although it is a huge problem, and employers are starting to recognise that, it is still very much the elephant in the room at work."

So why not offer staff incentives to let workers know they are appreciated.

Recent research from Thomsons Online Benefits showed that around 90 per cent of bosses want to offer their staff flexible incentives and recognition.

Posted by Elizabeth Mewes 

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