Stress in the workplace reduces productivity, increases management pressures, and makes people ill in many ways. Evidence shows that the problem is increasing. Workplace stress affects the performance of the brain, including its role in work performance, memory, concentration, and learning. In the UK, over 13 million working days are lost every year because of stress, and the annual cost to companies is in the region of L700 million ($1.3 billion).

Stress is believed to trigger 70 percent of visits to doctors and 85 percent of serious illnesses. So there are clearly strong economic and financial reasons for organisations to manage and reduce stress at work, aside from the obvious humanitarian and ethical considerations.