GRTU concerned about mental stress at work

The Association of General Retailers and Traders has identified mental stress in the workplace as one of its major concerns.

The GRTU said the condition affects business owners, the self-employed, managers and supervisors as well as workers and consumers.

The GRTU, along with Health Circles Ltd, has launched a series of courses to address the issue.

Research commissioned by the GRTU showed that individuals, managers and owners did not have enough information to help them realise, from the onset of the condition, that they could have a problem related to mental stress.

A seminar organised by the GRTU yesterday focused on improving health and employee performance. The seminar was opened by John Cachia, director institutional health. The main speakers were Gillian Burn and Pankaj Pandya.

Dr Burn has over 25 years' experience in health promotion, covering nursing and health services. She is the founder of Health Circles Ltd which provides programmes to improve health and quality of life for individuals and major companies throughout the UK.

Dr Pandya, who has been practising in Malta for over 20 years, specialises in treating stress related problems.

The seminar focused on the working environment, how to manage stress, enhancing communication at the place of work and how to approach the management of sickness absence.