One of the main issues behind tackling stress and bullying at work is identifying the employees who are stressed and those who are very busy, one charity claims.

The Samaritans says that employers now recognise that stress can affect productivity and performance and that something needs to be done about it.

Steve Williams, head of equality at Acas, says: 'Stress is where you don’t have any control, you feel powerless, and you feel unable to do your job and that’s what’s giving you more and more problems, more and more pressure.'

He adds that stress can be dealt with by providing staff with more training to ensure they have the appropriate skills for the job they have to do.

According to the Samaritans, 13 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2005 at a staggering cost of £3.7 billion.

Young employees are most vulnerable to stress, with 38 per cent feeling less likely than all other age groups to talk openly to their managers.