An average of ten days sick leave each year is taken by employees for stress reasons. This is a slight increase on last year's reported figures which were 9.3 according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD).

Stress in the workplace is the most common cause of long-term - that's four weeks or more - absence for non-manual workers. It can cost employers and average of £522 per employee a year. This amounts an approximate cost to the UK economy of £13bn.

The second most frequently cited cause of absenteeism, according to the report, was acute medical conditions. For manual workers, back pain was the primary reason for sickness absence.

Diane Sinclair, CIPD lead adviser on public policy, says: "Our survey suggests that organisations need to do more to tackle stress among their staff. Both the reasons for work-related stress and its symptoms need to be managed."

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Andrew Leech, Cross Reference Tel: 01753 884216