British employees are most stressed workers in Europe

UK office workers are more affected by stress than their European counterparts, with only 13 per cent of British employees saying they don’t suffer from any stress and deal with their workload well, compared to the European average of 42 per cent. According to new research by recruiters StepStone and totaljobs.com nearly one quarter (24 per cent) of British workers are feeling increased pressure at work. At the other end of the spectrum, the Dutch and the French are the most relaxed, with sixty four per cent of employees in these countries not at all stressed and feeling perfectly able to handle their workload. These disturbing revelations follow recent statistics from the ONS that showed absence related to stress, depression and anxiety accounted for 15.2 million lost days of employment last year, up from 11.8 million in 2010.

Commenting on the research – which was carried out amongst eight EU countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Holland and Switzerland; John Salt, website director at totaljobs.com said: “Companies need to pay more attention to the hidden danger of stress, which is becoming a big issue in the workplace. It’s vital that employers ensure staff are able to handle their workload within normal working hours, leaving enough time during the week to switch off, recharge and relax.”

Salt continues: “Taking care of stress in the workplace is a win-win for employees and employers alike. Jobseekers should consider the atmosphere, culture and company HR policies when looking for employment.

“Employers who make the effort to tackle stress at work will have happier, more productive workers, reducing the costs associated with this issue and, at the same time, improve employee loyalty and retention.”