Most UK workers would not complain to their manager or HR department even if a colleague's behaviour was having a detrimental impact on their performance, according to a survey of stress in the office by Ceridian.

The poll found that 58% of employees would avoid telling their manager about a colleague's annoying habits, while two-thirds would not bring it to the attention of the HR department.

The top three most stressful office worker habits are coming up with excuses to avoid work (cited by 21%), having tantrums and arguments in open spaces (11%) and gossiping and holding private conversations in the office (9%).

A similar survey by the same company held last year estimated that staff took an average of 8.5 days off sick each year with a quarter of these due to stress, while figures from the CBI estimate the cost to British business of lost productivity through mental illness and stress at £5bn a year.

According to Ceridian, this reluctance on behalf of staff to draw attention to rising stress levels puts the emphasis on employers to monitor employees and to train line managers in how to spot the signs of stress.

"It would appear many employees are suffering in silence with their managers and HR departments unaware of internal stress triggers," said Doug Sawers, managing director of Ceridian in the UK. "Today's employers must be aware of potential stressors within the workplace and the impact of these on their employees.

"Managers need to be properly trained to identify and correct negative behaviours to avoid undue employee stress and potential confrontation in the workplace," he added.