Search Results for: stress

Stress and disengagement blamed for ‘sickie’ culture

Stress and disengagement blamed for ‘sickie’ culture

Two in five employees have pulled a sickie in the last year and half, and a million have pulled more than eight, with stress, ‘couldn’t be bothered working’ and hangovers the top reasons for absence, a new report claims. According to research conducted by Citation, 41 percent of employees confessed to pulling at least one sickie in the last year, and 18 to 24-year-olds were markedly more likely to pull a sickie than any other age group, with just under two thirds (6 percent) admitting to doing so. Just 12 percent of employees aged 65+ said they had lied about an illness in the last year. Men are twice as likely as women to pull a sickie because they are hungover, and women are almost 10 percent more likely pull a sickie because they are feeling stressed.

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Two thirds of UK employees have taken a day off work in the last year as a result of stress, depression or anxiety

New survey results suggest mental health issues are having a significant impact on productivity in the workplace. Events company Wildgoose surveyed employees at 250 businesses across the UK and found there remains a stigma surrounding mental health at work. Of those surveyed who have taken a day off work, just under half admitted to calling in sick with a different complaint to the one from which they were actually suffering. Two thirds of respondents (62 percent) said they had taken a day off work as a result of stress, depression or anxiety.

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Over a third of workers have left a job because of the stress it caused them

Over a third of workers have left a job because of the stress it caused them

Over a third of workers have left a job because of the stress it caused them

New research released to mark International Stress Awareness Day tomorrow (Wednesday 1st November) has revealed that more than one third (36 percent) of the working population have left a job because of the stress it caused them, according to research conducted by Citation. It claims that  women are almost 10 percent more likely to leave because of stress than men, and those aged between 25 to 34-years old were most likely to struggle with workplace stress. Worryingly, more than half (53 percent) of employees feel too afraid to show signs of stress at work. More than a quarter (27 percent) think it’ll make them look weak, one in five (18 percent) worry it will affect their career and the remaining 7 percent feel uncomfortable approaching their manager with the problem. Those aged between 18 to 24-years old were most likely to fear for their career and worry about looking weak. Employees between 45 and 54 were notably more likely to feel at unease approaching their manager.

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Majority of workers are sleep deprived and stressed, negatively impacting their performance and wellbeing

Majority of workers are sleep deprived and stressed, negatively impacting their performance and wellbeing

Over three quarters (77 percent) of British workers admit that having a bad night’s sleep negatively impacts their working day, with 27 percent claiming that they feel exhausted on a daily basis, according to a new study from jobsite CV Library. The study explored the attitudes of 1,300 workers around the topic of sleep and the workplace and was conducted with input from Neuroscientist Professor Jim Horne. The research claims that three quarters of Brits (74.5 percent) cite workplace stress as a key cause of their disrupted rest, with a further 92.5 percent admitting that a stress-related disrupted sleep negatively affects their emotions. What’s more, while the majority of workers (58.9 percent) would like to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, only 26.1 percent currently achieve this, with most people (56.8 percent) actually receiving 5-7 hours. The research claims that sleep deprivation is most likely to affect an employee’s ability to stay focused (72.7 percent) as well as their ability to deal with challenging situations (46.5 percent) and make important decisions (34.2 percent).
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Millennials email habits are at unhealthy levels, resulting in round the clock stress

Millennials email habits are at unhealthy levels, resulting in round the clock stress

Round the clock emailing by Millennials

Email overload amongst under-35s has reached unhealthy levels, a new survey claims, with 42 percent saying they would feel stressed if they were not able to access their emails, compared with a fifth (22 percent) of employees aged between 45-54 years old. According to new research from Bupa it’s now the norm for younger workers to constantly dip into work via email in the early morning and late evening. Although many businesses have taken steps to help ensure their employees have a good work-life balance, it is clear that the idea that the best way to progress is to be available around the clock persists amongst millennials. A fifth (22 percent) of millennials believe that they would be viewed as uncommitted to their job if they did not respond to emails outside of work hours. A third (33 percent) believe that their career progression could be impacted if they only respond to work emails in work time, compared with less than 10 percent of employees over 55 years old.

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Third of UK workers are dealing with anxiety, depression or stress

Third of UK workers are dealing with anxiety, depression or stress 0

One in three (34 percent) UK workers are dealing with anxiety, depression or stress, which is affecting their ability to carry out their day-to-day roles, claims a new report. Two in five (39 percent) have taken time off work or reduced their responsibilities because of their health, and of those, 39 percent did not feel comfortable telling their employer about the issue according to the PwC research. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) think their organisation does not take employee wellbeing seriously and more than half (54 percent) work for companies which do not offer health benefits such as counselling, health screening and subsidised gym memberships. The research suggests that Health and wellbeing has a significant impact on performance with four out of five workers (83 percent) believing that their wellbeing influences how productive they are. Pressures such as dealing with customers and clients, and long hours have the biggest impact on workplace wellbeing. The survey respondents also indicated a belief that technology can play a part in addressing health, with almost half saying they would be open to using an app to improve their wellbeing.

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Stress levels at work have grown, while productivity fell, but there is some good news

Stress levels at work have grown, while productivity fell, but there is some good news 0

Stress and anxiety treatments have doubled over a decade, while 44 percent of workers say the world around them has become more stressful and complex. In the ten years since Bupa launched its first Wellbeing Report; people are working an extra 15.4 million hours every week, but productivity remaining low. However, on a more positive note, more employees than ever are prepared to talk about mental health issues with their employer. The research, which coincides with the launch of the Bupa Wellbeing Edit – a report into the key themes in workplace wellbeing, which includes insights from business and wellbeing experts, shows the number of people receiving mental health treatments has increased by 53 per cent in the last decade. Treatment for stress and anxiety have more than doubled over the last 10 years, which now stand at just under 70,000. However, although working longer hours has contributed to higher stress levels, the analysis based on businesses of all sizes, suggests that employers’ openness towards mental health is also increasing levels of self-reporting.

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Good working relationships and less stress are key to workplace happiness

Good working relationships and less stress are key to workplace happiness 0

Less stress and better workplace relationships are the reason why the happiest regions to work in the UK are Yorkshire and the Humber; while uninteresting work is the reason why employees in Scotland and the South are the most unhappy. Research into workplace happiness by Happiness Works on behalf of Robert Half UK claims that 77 percent of employees in Yorkshire and the Humber are the happiest employees in Britain, well above the national average of 63 percent. Those questioned find their work more interesting (74 percent), get on with their team (88 percent), have good friends in the office (72 percent) and suffer less stress (38 percent). Britain’s most unsatisfied employees are those working in Scotland and the South of England, with 17 percent of employees saying they are unhappy at work and one in six expressing their work is not interesting. Over a quarter of those in South (27 percent) don’t have good friends in the office or don’t get on with their teams and one in seven (14 percent) in Scotland feel the same. However, employees in Scotland (63 percent) and the South (65 percent) do believe they have a good work-life balance.

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A quarter of people have taken time off work with stress but blamed it on physical illness

A quarter of people have taken time off work with stress but blamed it on physical illness 0

New research from Aviva claims that there is a ‘startling’ number of people in the UK who are suffering from stress but who are hiding it from their employers. A quarter of 2,000 people (25 percent) surveyed admitted taking a day off work with stress but then blaming it on a physical illness. Based on the current number of people working in the UK, it indicates that almost eight million people are suffering from stress without their employer’s knowledge. Aviva’s research also claims that a third of people (33 percent) have taken a day off work with stress at some stage in their career. 25-34 year olds were the most likely to have taken time off (46 percent) with those aged over 55 seemingly the least likely to need time away from work (25 percent). More than half of men (53 percent) who had taken a day off work with stress at some stage in their career said they had done so in the last year, compared to a third of women (34 percent).

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Flexible working can be the key to lower stress levels at work 0

A survey of over 1,000 British workers by the Institute of Leadership & Management, claims that flexible working can be an important way to reduce stress and increasing general wellbeing among the workforce. The study (login required) claims that over 4 in 5 (85 percent) managers feel that allowing staff to work flexibly enhances staff wellbeing and reduces overall stress ; two thirds (65 percent) believe flexible working encourages more commitment and motivation amongst staff; and over three quarters (78 percent) say flexible working helps to retain staff. Speaking to 1,026 managers, the study claims that flexible working increases productivity and wellbeing. The study also claims that learning the tools or techniques of how to be happy in one’s working life can empower major breakthroughs for people and their wellbeing. The Institute claims its research means that there needs to be broader communication in the workplace regarding flexible working policies from senior management. Openness and honesty about flexible working policies can alleviate worries and uncertainty.

Over half of employers report increase in workplace stress and mental ill health

Over half of employers report increase in workplace stress and mental ill health 0

More than half (55 percent) of employers have reported an increase in the level of stress and mental health related illnesses at work, according to the annual Benefits and Trends Survey from Aon. The survey claims that while 72 percent of employers believed they had a key role in influencing employee health in 2015, this decreased to 67 percent in 2016. The survey did find that employers have tactics to support health and wellbeing – branded wellness programmes (21 percent) and flexible working (20 percent) being the most popular – but these may be disconnected to what employees and the business actually need. Not surprisingly then, 58 percent would like a better understanding of the impacts of health risks, while 72 percent now use some form of data to drive health and wellbeing strategy. The most popular sources were absence data (57 percent) and employee engagement surveys (45 percent). In addition, the number of employers that have considered managing a known health risk is on the increase – rising to 48 percent from 25 percent in the last two years (42 percent in 2015).

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Almost half of employees are more stressed at work than they were a year ago

Almost half of employees are more stressed at work than they were a year ago 0

Nearly half (46 percent) of employees questioned in a new survey feel more stressed at work than they did a year ago and 17 percent feel their work stress levels are ‘much higher,’ new research has claimed. The data, from Specialists4Protection.co.uk also suggests that 16 percent of people in work claim to have taken medical advice to help them cope with work-related stress, and 13 percent are on medication partly because of this. Just 12 percent say they feel less stressed than they were 12 months ago. The impact of this is not just felt at work. Fifty five percent of those suffering from work related stress say it has adversely affected their sleep, and 19 percent claim it’s contributed towards a decline in their relationship with their partner. Four out of ten (40 percent) say work-related stress means they are not eating properly and 42 percent are doing less exercise.

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