Small business owners have been warned that if they do not address the increasing stress levels of staff then their company's productivity will suffer

Recent research by Investors in People and YouGov has found that 38% of employees in the UK say that their stress levels are higher than a year ago, but only 29% think their business is doing anything to address this.

Only 5% of employees said they are receiving more support from their managers than they did before the downturn and a mere 12% think their manager has adapted very well to the effects of the downturn.

"Increased stress in the workplace is associated with reduced productivity. Our research suggests that management has so far not addressed the current increase in workplace stress," said Simon Jones, chief executive of Investors in People.

www.ukba.co.uk