‘Allowing employees to switch off from work is very important’
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The American author Brendon Burchard once said: “Stress is self-created; I decided to stop manufacturing it. We can choose an internal calm and joy even amid the chaos.”
However, it seems that for many employees it is proving a tough task to switch stress off.
New research from Workscore from over 11,000 employees found that a disturbing 78% of employees experience frequent stress at work and it is having a negative impact on their mental health.
It found that employees who frequently experience stress at work aren’t happy and are more anxious than their peers. Anxiety levels are 27% higher in stressed employees.
“Clearly, high work stress is impacting the mental health of employees and leading to increased anxiety, according to Suzanne Deeming, co-founder of WorkScore.
“The data also shows a strong correlation between happiness and work/ life balance with those employees who get a good balance rating as 28% happier and 25% less anxious”, she added.
According to Deeming, there’s more to it than a focus on balance.
“Reducing stress and allowing employees to switch off from work is very important,” she said.
“A third of our respondents find it hard to switch off from work and a third report poor work and life balance, so clearly there is room for vast improvement”.
Four key areas were identified that can reduce anxiety in employees; flexibility in workplace hours and location, being able to switch off from work, having good balance between work and life and importantly less stress in the workplace.
“Employers should also invest in a wellbeing program as our research shows that employees who rate work as caring about employee wellbeing are less anxious, less stressed, are happier and more engaged at work”.
Workscore recommends the following course of action employers to improve stress in the workplace:
● Provide flexible working hours for employees
● Set boundaries for working late
● Provide wellbeing and mental health support
● Encourage time for family and hobbies
