Employers need to address causes of problems in the workplace rather than treat the symptoms, a stress management consultancy has warned.
According to consultancy firm AMC², the ability of managers to communicate more effectively was a common solution to workplace stress problems.
Ann McCracken, director of the firm said: "If employers don't address the cause of the problem, then treating the symptoms is just a waste of time and money."
She added it helped for issues to be addressed while staff were still at work and "critically" before they became an absentee problem.
The firm stated that the incorporation of health and wellbeing initiatives into employment practices was a welcome development initiative but stressed that evidence showed more needed to be done.
It added the root cause of the absenteeism epidemic lay mostly with employers and their line management.
McCracken said for some time she had recognised line managers frequently did not have the leadership skills to address real issues.
