work-related stress

I have mixed views about this story and about how much sympathy I think should be extended to “Whitehall staff” – I will keep my thoughts (reflecting on those who are at the butt end of policies planned and implemented in Government, likely to lose their livelihoods through some of the changes which are around the corner) to myself on this one. I don’t like the idea of anyone suffering however and therefore I do have some sympathy with the staff at the heart of this story, which tells us:

Rates of work-related stress, depression and anxiety among civil servants has risen drastically in the past year to the highest level for decades, amid warnings that Whitehall will reach “breaking point”.

The proportion of civil servants who say they are experiencing stress has increased by 45%, according to official data. Increasing workloads, looming deadlines, departures of senior staff and the pressures around delivering Brexit are all being blamed for the spike.

It appears to be the highest rate recorded for any industry since the Health and Safety Executive began collecting these statistics 20 years ago. About 3,230 cases of stress, depression and anxiety per 100,000 workers were recorded for the sector and related jobs, the highest rate of any sector in the UK and around 77% higher than the all-industry average.

Unions blamed the figures on increasing workloads, years of pay restraint and the added pressures created by Brexit and political gridlock. Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect union, said: “No other industry has experienced anything like this annual jump, and it is impossible to escape the conclusion that it is because of the sheer level of pressure being heaped on civil servants as a result of Brexit.

“No government in peace time has ever been as reliant on its civil service, keeping the country running and preparing for Brexit, while parliament remains effectively deadlocked. Pay is still lagging behind the private sector, departmental cuts continue to bite, and senior politicians never seem to miss an opportunity to attack civil servants – it’s no wonder they are feeling the strain.

‘The government urgently needs to address this problem or it will soon discover that even our fantastic civil service has a breaking point.”