With new figures today revealing that millions of young British workers feel pressurised at work, Allianz is highlighting the proactive steps which can be taken by the insurance industry to tackle work-related stress.

Market research agency, GfK NOP Engage, has revealed that 2.4 million young British workers are frequently or always stressed at work and its findings suggest that UK employees are paying a heavy price with their health and wellbeing, as a result.

Many young workers believe that their bosses are asking them to do more as a result of the economic downturn (39 per cent) while 31 per cent complained of long hours and 32 per cent said they were not given the resources to do their jobs effectively.

Banu Gajendran, health & safety manager at Allianz Insurance, said: "Wellbeing is no longer an 'optional extra' for businesses, it’s a vital element to everyday working life. The latest figures are a stark reminder to employers that they must improve the health and wellbeing initiatives that they offer to help reduce the effects of stress on their staff."

She adds: "Stress is a major cause of occupational ill health resulting in sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance for organisations. Effective engagement with staff wellbeing is not only in the best interests of employees but will also help bring business benefits."

To help combat stress amongst its own workforce, Allianz has partnered with the mental health charity MIND, in order to develop workshops, which will teach staff positive coping skills and offer practical tips to help them manage stress.

Allianz is also introducing mental wellbeing workshops for its line managers, which will be run by the Stress Management Society. Managers will be benefit from learning how to spot the early signs of stress amongst their teams and will be trained in how to put their stress policies into practise at work.

Banu adds: "We appreciate that our employees are our most valuable asset. These new workshops demonstrate our commitment to maintaining the wellbeing of our staff which is why Allianz is recognised as being a great place to work."

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