Across the UK, workplace stress levels are worryingly high. With more work being thrown our way and technology making it easier to log on anywhere, at any time, it’s no wonder that employees are feeling the brunt of it.

In fact, according to our research, over half (53.2%) of workers stated that stress is an issue in their current workplace and for many businesses, this can result in low morale, poor productivity and worse of all, staff leaving altogether.

Furthermore, our data tells us that from an employee’s perspective, a staggering 89% of workers think that being susceptible to stress at work can have an impact on their career progression – a dangerous problem if not dealt with properly.

Interestingly, our research went on to explore why people think that stress can affect their careers and below, I examine these in more detail.

"Being stressed negatively affects your work performance"

Stress can make workers feel distracted, off the ball and out of control – it’s a fact. Therefore it’s difficult to say that this statement is false, because stress can affect workers’ performance, if not dealt with correctly.

If something doesn’t seem quite right, or you can see one of your employees tearing their hair out, get to the root of the problem and see what amendments can be made. It might be that their workload could be shared out elsewhere.

"Employees should be able to handle some stress"

Our survey tells us that one third (33.8%) of workers think that there is an expectation amongst businesses that employees should be able to handle some stress in the workplace. But for organisations, promoting this notion can be extremely damaging.

It’s understandable, especially in smaller businesses, that there will be stressful times, but it’s important to address these head on and really monitor the wellbeing of your staff when things do get a little tense.

“Stress can make employees burn out, causing them to take time away from the office”

One of the biggest taboos around stress is the burn out stage. Unfortunately, many companies in the UK don’t tackle stress until it gets to the point where employees are physically ill because of it and this should not be the case. Alongside this, the notion that burnout is frowned upon, thus ruining someone’s career is unacceptable. Again, recognising the signs before it’s too late is vital.

“Employees who want to get promoted should show more resilience”

Resilience is now recognised as an important factor in the workplace, for both individuals and organisations. Businesses should be responsible for building resilience inside their company, but this shouldn’t come at the price of your staff’s wellbeing, and it doesn’t mean that employees who aren’t always ‘resilient’ should be penalised.

Promotions are based on performance, not someone’s ability to handle stress and while it is important to show resilience, it shouldn’t negatively affect your employees’ careers.

Final thoughts

The stigma around stress continues to ring true and more needs to be done to promote best practice in the workplace and really tackle the issue effectively. It’s clear that workers are concerned around the impact of stress on their careers and that there are many misconceptions when it comes to workplace wellbeing.

For businesses, approaching the topic of stress head on is important, especially if you want to get the most out of your workforce and retain your very best employees.

Lee Biggins is founder and managing director of CV-Library.