Britons spend more than a third of their lifetime employment feeling stressed at work, according to a study of performance-related stress and anxiety in the UK.
The research, published today by performance psychology firm Star Consultance, revealed that the average employee feels stressed, anxious and worried on 84 days (35%) of the year, blaming workload, deadlines and other external factors.
Performance coach Chantal Burns, who commissioned the research, said:
“We seem to be living in stressed-out Britain, which is a massive call to action to address the root causes of a growing problem.
“While difficult and demanding situations are inevitable in the workplace, regular or chronic stress is not and it’s damaging employees’ health and mental well-being, as well as the company bottom-line though poorer performance and increased sick leave.”
The study, which examined workplace performance and the perceived causes and effects of stress, anxiety and worry in the British workforce, included a cross-section of 600 male and female employees between the ages of 18 and 55 who work in a variety of positions and employment levels across the UK.
More than a quarter (28%) of workers surveyed said that they feel “stressed, anxious or worried” at work at least twice a week, with 14 percent suffering these feelings every day.
Seven percent reported that they have taken up to five days off work due to stress, anxiety or depression.
Nearly two thirds (62%) of respondents said that stress has a negative impact on their work performance by reducing levels of motivation, productivity and self-confidence.
Burns suggests that the cause of stress and anxiety might be internal, finding that 33 percent of the study’s participants deemed a person’s attitude to be a key factor in their ability to flourish at work.
She said:
“There is a wealth of scientific evidence proving that it is our thinking and mindset – and only this – that causes our feelings of stress and anxiety.
“By clearing up this misunderstanding about state of mind, most of the problems people are dealing with at work and in society more generally, are instantly resolved.”
Steff joined the HRreview editorial team in November 2014. A former event coordinator and manager, Steff has spent several years working in online journalism. She is a graduate of Middlessex University with a BA in Television Production and will complete a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Westminster in the summer of 2015.