Stress at work

Stress at work is not a new area where compensation may be appropriate but it is one that has developed in recent times. The pressures of target driven employment, financial objectives and the impact of the general economic climate make a difficult working environment for most. Yet these are pressures that most of us experience on a day to day basis.

However, such pressures if unchecked by employers could result in stress beyond that which is reasonable in the work place. Pressures and failures to provide adequate training or support can result in stress-related illnesses. Stress at work is fact sensitive, in other words, each case has its own history and whether a genuine claim exists or not can only be decided once all the facts have been obtained.

Generally speaking, stress at work is not enough to bring a claim for compensation. There has to be either a physical or mental reaction. A nervous breakdown is usually a sign that a stress at work compensation claim may be a likely option. It is also a general requirement that nothing else has contributed to the stress-related illness, such as a bereavement or divorce.

Stress at work claims can be very complicated and good legal advice is essential to assist victims. People who have found themselves in such a position are vulnerable and require gentle and compassionate support from their legal advisors. We at Aequitas Legal understand the difficulties that you may be going through and we shall take a very caring approach to attend to your specific needs.

If you feel as though you have suffered stress at work then contact us or complete the enquiry form. We will then contact you to take some further information and discuss any potential claim further.

Examples

Example 1

You work for the local council and have been asked to take over someone’s role who has recently left. The role is different to that which you normally undertake. You are still doing your own job until a replacement arrives. You did tell the Council that the work was too much and you were assured that everything would be done to find a replacement as soon as possible. You were not given any additional training to understand the role you were covering. It takes the council a number of months to find a replacement by which time you have had a nervous breakdown.

In this example, the victim has suffered a stress related illness to the pressures of a new role. They were not offered any additional support or training to cope with the additional role. Further, they told the council that it was too much but no real action was taken to help. Here, there is on the face of it a case for a stress at work compensation claim.

Example 2

You work in the admin department of a medium sized factory. Without any notice, you are redeployed to work in the accounts department. You are promised training which you never receive. A few months into the new job, you start to feel ill and take time off work for stress. Your absence is prolonged and you are not sure when you will feel up to going back to work.

Although there is no significant nervous breakdown, it is arguable that there is still a claim for stress at work. The sudden change in work without training will have placed a huge amount of stress on the victim and is arguably obvious to the employer. The stress related absence was a natural consequence of the pressure of changing roles without any support or training. Again, there is a case for a compensation claim.

The above examples are manufactured and are not based on any true events that may have happened.