A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) has found that more people than ever are being signed off with stress.

The survey, which polled 219 payroll and HR professionals, found that 87% of respondents agreed that employee absence due to stress is rising among UK employees.

Of those who responded, 68% say that over the past 12 months a total of 13 working weeks has been lost to employee absence due to stress.

When asked as to the main reasons for the absence, the top three reasons were increased workload (71%), low morale (62%) and financial problems (44%), followed closely by domestic issues (38%).

The survey also found that over two thirds (67%) of employers do not feel that mental health is given enough attention when it comes to employees.

Claire Vane, Director at Integrated Resources Ltd, says this is a worrying statistic:

“Mental health illness is still not fully understood, which added to concerns about the Equality Act 2010 makes employers even more afraid to deal with the issue. Absence statistics are only the tip of the iceberg as everyone gets affected by absence due to stress in terms of workload: colleagues, managers and HR and payroll professionals. The complexity of mental health needs to be understood by employers.”