Lloyds Bank have announced that the CEO, António Horta-Osório, has taken leave of absence due to overwork. Consequently Lloyds shares have fallen by 10% in value.
The Guardian is running a poll: you can vote here on whether you support him or not: Do you feel sympathetic towards António Horta-Osório?
When I voted an hour ago, the vote was split almost equally between sympathy and 'he gets paid enough to take it'.
Whether you do feel sympathy for him or not, it's a good illustration how overwork and stress can take their toll on people at any level in an organisation. Arguably the higher you are, the more stressful your job will be. Other circumstances can of course also have an influence on how bad the effect of a stressful job will be. Things like health problems and domestic and family issues can all create the situation where a challenging and healthy job can turn into a stressful and unmanageable nightmare.
Companies in every sector need to address the issue as a matter of urgency. The starting point is knowing what the general stress points in the organisation are likely to be (they can be different in different organisations), what the overall levels of (negative) stress are, and then being able to identify stress at an individual level and offer help and support before it becomes a problem.
For more information on measuring stress levels in your organisation, contact us on +44 20 7206 7279.
Go to Climate Check to find out how we can help you measure stress and other critical factors in your organisation.