Fisher and Associates Solutions

The Research

The consequences of workplace stress are now well documented and we know that the costs are high to employers, organizations and individual workers. Levels of workplace stress have been increasing over the past decade and are expected to continue to escalate - along with the negative effects. Thus, it is critical that organizations approach the issue as a central operational concern. Research shows:

Canadian employers lose $3.5-billion to stress-related employee costs every year.
One in three North American workers are stressed out due to excessive work demands and hours.
26-40% of American employees report high levels of work stress and one quarter see their job as the number one stressor in their lives.
Every day more than a million American workers are absent from work in the due to stress.
The average cost of stress-related absenteeism is $602 per worker per year in the U.S.
60-80% of accidents on the job are stress related.
On average, Canadian workers miss 9 days per year due to illness and disability.
Health care costs are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of work stress.
One half of deaths in Canada and the US are caused by stress-related illness and disease.
The leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease - 75% of coronary heart disease is related to stress.
25%-35% of new disability claims are for mental health and nervous disorders.
Stress-related mental health claims are expected to become the leading cost of short- and long-term disability claims.
40% of staff turnover in the United States is due to stress - replacing an average employee costs between $3,000 - $13,000.
The negative consequences of workplace stress and trauma are increasing overall

(Refs: American Institute of Stress, Canadian Policy Research Networks, Statistics Canada, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Health Canada, Canadian Mental Health Association, Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.)