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New online system at First Direct gives staff the chance to check their own stress levels

First Direct has launched a new system to allow employees to manage their own stress levels online.

The company is working with stress management consultancy StressCHECK to implement the platform, which offers a stress management and training system available online, on the company’s intranet or on CD ROM.

Michaela Wright, social leadership manager at First Direct, said: "We looked into the reasons that people were absent from work and one of the biggest areas was psychological problems, so we knew that we needed to do more.

"We already had in place a support service that offers free counselling but we had nothing in place that helped our people learn how to manage stress. We accepted that stress was an everyday part of life and we were looking for a prevention that reduced the need for absence by helping our people manage stressful situations.

"The environmental impact fitted with our philosophy and it is a very personal and private way for people to assess their stress monitor; any one of our employees can use it at any time simply by accessing our intranet."