Concern has been voiced over the cost of stress and stress-related illness for smaller firms, with experts at the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) maintaining that stress can lead to a considerable amount of money having to be spent by smaller businesses.
Stress is one of the leading causes of worker absenteeism in the UK and as such, concern has been sparked over the financial cost facing small business owners.
The HSC warns that stress can mean "quite a lot of money" being spent by smaller firms on hiring temporary staff and continuing to pay the worker who is off sick.
HSC spokesperson Ray Allger highlights the fact that small firms do not have the same capacity for cover as larger organisations, which can leave them at a loss when faced with stress-related absenteeism or any form of absenteeism.
"If somebody if off due to work related stress they can be off for quite a long time and it can end up costing the small business quite a lot of money," he explains.
A study from Peninsula recently found that fraudulent sick leave is costing UK firms some £3.5 billion each year in lost productivity.
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