Fears, anxieties, stress, trauma and their impact on workplace sickness absences

A Government survey in 2004¹ identified that at an average of 10 days per year, sickness absence among the 5.5 million public sector workers costs over £1.2 billion per annum. According to figures published by the Confederation of British Industry, sickness absence costs UK businesses £12.2 billion a year.

Figures released by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in July 2007² estimated that average sickness absence costs employers £659 per employee every year and employee absence costs employers 8.4 working days for every member of staff per year; the equivalent of 3.7% of working time.

Of the 7 main causes of sickness absence identified by the CIPD, stress is the main cause of long-term absence for non-manual employees and is amongst the top causes of sickness absence in manual workers too. In the CIPD research, 31% of organisations identified an increase in stress-related absence compared with the previous 12 months.

Thought Field Therapy can be used effectively as part of a corporate employee well-being strategy. It can be used to treat work-related stress, as well as addictions such as smoking which are detrimental to staff health and sickness absence rates, and get people back to work. For employees, such as those working in the emergency services or military forces who have to deal with traumatic incidences, TFT is a non-invasive, non-talking therapy treatment and is therefore ideally suited for treating post traumatic stress disorders.

1. Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector: A joint review by the ministerial task force for health, safety and productivity and the Cabinet Office. November 2004
2. Absence Management Survey Report. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2007.