It has unfortunately become increasingly common in this day and age that people suffer from stress related illnesses which have been caused by their work. Very often people have no idea that in certain circumstances they can claim damages, sometimes substantial, from their employers if they have been caused such a stress-related illness by their employers’ behaviour. There has to be a personal injury or recognised psychiatric disorder which has been caused by the employer which has breached its duty to employees to take reasonable care to prevent such injury or psychiatric harm. You have to prove such an injury goes beyond normal stress and strains at work.
You have to prove that it was reasonably foreseeable to the employer that such harm could be caused. This can often be achieved if there have been complaints to HR or a personnel officer that certain aspects of work were perhaps unreasonable and causing stressful symptoms. Simple dissatisfaction, embarrassment or upset is not enough and it must be stressed that a recognised psychiatric disorder has to be shown to have arisen. This can be done, in appropriate cases, with reports from a psychiatrist or another expert.
All cases are different and it is difficult to make generalisations because each case will depend upon its own particular facts.
If you feel you have suffered from an illness as a result of behaviour by your employers please call us and we will give you some free, impartial initial advice.