Recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that almost 600,000 workers are suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2018, with 15.4 million working days lost due to work-related stress this year.
With the year coming to an end, Reboot Digital Marketing Agency has investigated the most common reasons why Brits felt stress at work in 2018 and the ways in which they’ve decided to deal with it.
A survey asking 1,274 employees about the most common work stressors revealed interesting figures.
The top work stressor Brits had in 2018 was an excessive workload, with 84 percent saying this was the biggest cause of worry for them this year. Unrealistic expectations came second at 79 percent, as employees feel overwhelmed by the need to constantly impress their superiors.
Seventy-six percent of employees taking part in the survey have been bothered by a co-worker’s lack of competence, while 72 percent struggle to find a work-life balance.
Other stressors that made the list were: lack of progression opportunities (63 percent), lack of job security (59 percent) and a negative company culture (42 percent).
When it comes to the ways in which employees dealt with stress at work this year, the results show the following: 76 percent of people taking part in the survey have confessed that they destress by complaining to another person, whether it’s a friend, family or even a co-worker, while 70 percent admit to taking frequent toilet breaks to get away from their work space. Some have resorted to actively searching for a new job (66 percent) while others have asked to work from home (44 percent).
Other ways employees dealt with work-related stress in 2018 include simply stopping caring (37 percent) and taking regular baths to destress (12 percent).