EMPLOYERS are ill-equipped to handle employee stress, it has been claimed. Christine Owen, an occupational health specialist for consultant William M. Mercer, believes few organisations are equipped to recognise and deal with psychological illness. She said: "The right level of stress can actually help employees achieve their optimum performance but, in a large dose, stress can quickly deteriorate into distress."

She advises employers to analyse their workplace as part of an ongoing assessment, believing one-off stress audits are ineffective.

"It's often a self-fulfilling prophecy - if you go looking for something like stress you're bound to find it," she said.

Ms Owen urges employers to understand that the cause of stress may extend to home as well as work. She added: "There is a temptation for employers to address the symptom and not the cause. A lot can be tracked back to the way individuals are managed.

"Looking at stress management in a positive light has allowed many companies to gain considerable benefits.

"Companies should be reviewing how to address these issues now before litigation under the Health and Safety at Work Act forces them to."

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