HR strategy and practice should pick up on stress signals

Employees missing lunch breaks may be a signal that a worker is struggling to cope with their workload, according to one expert.

Ben Willmott, senior policy advisor at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, warned employers and figures in charge of HR strategy and practice to be wary of other indicators, such as staff members working excessive hours or sending emails late at night.

His words come after research published last week by the Chartered Institute of Physiotherapy revealed not only that one in four people complete a working day without taking a break, 36 per cent do not take time away to have their lunch.

“The impact of the recession is only now beginning to affect the workplace on a daily basis and obviously issues around workloads,” the expert continued.

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He noted that an increase in reports of workplace stress have coincided with greater job insecurity emanating from the recession.

By Colette Paxton