High employee stress levels can lead to absenteeism, lower productivity

Increased stress levels can lead to a surge in absenteeism and lower productivity levels, especially among ambulance workers, a segment where 82% of employees have considered leaving their jobs as a result of workplace stress, according to figures from a recent survey by Unison.

The poll of nearly 3,000 ambulance workers revealed that 91% are suffering from stress, with 38% saying they’ve had to take time off sick as a result, and a quarter (25%) admitting they’ve been close to doing so.

The most common cause of stress cited was long hours (71%). Staff shortages (65%), a target-orientated culture (52%), the mental and physical demands of the job (45% and 40%), and bullying or harassment (25%) were also factors.

Unison head of health Christina McAnea said that this survey shows ambulance workers face much greater pressure than other NHS workers.

She said: “Working in emergency services is stressful but the pressure on ambulance staff is reaching dangerously high levels. It is unacceptable that the current system doesn’t allow for proper breaks between shifts.”

Tensor plc can help managers monitor staff attendance, combat absenteeism

Tensor plc supplies an extensive range of solutions designed specifically to help employers thoroughly monitor and manage absence, with our flagship WinTA.NET integrated workforce management solution incorporating a dedicated Absence Planning and Entitlement Management feature.

Our comprehensive, yet user-friendly software comes pre-loaded with graphical calendar charts that provide a colourful way of viewing an individual’s or a department’s absence records.

Each employee can be allocated different entitlements for absence such as annual leave or allowed sickness. As absence is booked and taken, the remainder available for each entitlement is updated. Entitlement formulae are used to calculate more complex entitlements calculated on a rising scale based upon length of service.

WinTA.NET supplies the relevant managers with information on employee’s absences through warning email notifications or via hardcopy reports. After that, the system would rapidly identify missing employees that are expected to be at work and then informs you via automatic email reporting reports distributed by email.

If you’d like to find out more about the Tensor workforce management solutions, just contact our team or Book a Demo, we’ll be more than happy to answer all of your questions and queries.