top tips encourage businesses to 'address the stress' - Stress down day, Friday 6 February

6th February 2009

As one of the main causes of sickness absence, stress accounted for 13.5 million lost working days in Britain in 2007-2008², with each case of work-related stress, depression, or anxiety-related ill health resulting in an average of 30.6 lost working days².

As part of its own Stress Down Day, engage organised a day-long menu of stress relaxation options for staff at its Hornbeam Park Office to emphasise the benefits of a mentally and physically healthy lifestyle:

"The day was planned as a fun initiative for staff, but it also provides an important focus on stress management and the wider issue of employee wellbeing," - explains engage Marketing Director, Karl Elliott.

engage staff were offered cut-price energy boosting smoothies and on-site head and shoulder massage therapy³, together with free yoga taster sessions and a dress down option. Money raised was donated to Samaritans.

Claire Duncan at Samaritans stated:

"It is brilliant that engage is organising fundraising activities for Stress Down Day to enable Samaritans to continue to help people in need of emotional support."

top tips to 'address the stress':

1. exercise — it really is good for body and mind and releases 'feel good' hormones which help combat the negatives of stress
2. life balance — Keeping work at work, and making time for play, relaxation and sleep aids concentration and focus
3. eat yourself healthy — cut down on artificial mood boosters like caffeine, alcohol and nicotine, up the intake of healthy, unprocessed foods, a balanced diet sets your body up to better deal with stress.
4. make use of props — turn to sympathetic work colleagues, family and friends for support. No one should feel they have to go it alone.
5. seek help — calling on professional help to beat stress is not an admission of failure, it's a positive way of addressing the problem
6. are you having a laugh? — laughter boosts beneficial hormones and reduces at least 4 different hormones associated with stress⁴

footnotes:

1. stress Down Day is a campaign that aims to raise awareness of the effects of stress in the workplace and encourages people to take better care of their emotional well-being. One in five people in the UK feels 'very' or 'extremely' stressed by their work www.hse.gov.uk/stress/linemanagers.pdf
2. www.hse.gov.uk/stress/linemanagers.pdf
3. Harrogate-based Ache Away Massage Therapy offers fully clothed 'mini' seated massage for workplace and corporate events
4. http://www.holisticonline.com/Humor_Therapy/humor_therapy_benefits

For more information contact:
Kathryn McLaughlin
PR Manager
01423 855245
kathryn.mclaughlin@engagemutual.com

notes to Editors:

1. engage Mutual Assurance is a trading name of Homeowners Friendly Society Ltd (HFSL), Registered and incorporated under the Friendly Societies Act 1992, Registered number 964F and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, engage Mutual Funds Limited (eMFL) and engage Mutual Insurance Ltd (eMIL). Both HFSL and eMFL are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). HFSL's Register number is 110072, eMFL's Register number is 181487. eMIL is authorised to conduct general insurance business by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and is regulated by the Financial Services Authority for the conduct of UK business. eMIL's FSA Register No is 485680. You can check this on the FSA's Register by visiting the FSA website www.fsa.gov.uk/ or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.

2. engage is one of the larger UK mutuals providing simple, value for money savings, protection and investment products. It currently helps over 420,000 customers of all ages to protect, preserve or enhance their welfare, with some of the most straightforward products on the market. engage prides itself on being a family-oriented, modern mutual, providing products that help enable households of all kinds to plan their finances to help meet their future needs. More information on engage Mutual is available at www.engagemutual.com

3. engage supports mutuality, friendly societies and the regional financial services industry through links with the Association of Mutual Insurers, the Association of Friendly Societies, Mutuo and Leeds Financial Services Initiative.

4. engage Mutual Funds Limited (EMFL) is a provider of the Child Trust Fund direct and in partnership with organisations including Yorkshire Building Society and Scarborough Building Society.

5. engage Mutual has been the title sponsor of the Rugby Super League since 2005 and has extended its agreement to 2010.

6. engage Mutual announced its entry into the health cash plan market in July 2008 following an agreement of partnership with Wakefield & District Hospital's Contributory Scheme (WDHCS). Further to this, 30,000 health cash plan customers transferred from Premier Health Benefits (part of WDHCS) to engage Mutual Insurance Ltd.