Due to incompetent colleagues, unpaid overtime and unachievable expectations, 40 per cent of office staff are so stressed that their health is being affected
Forty per cent of office workers are under ‘dangerously high’ levels of stress, according to new research.
Incompetent colleagues, unpaid overtime and unachievable expectations mean that nearly half of us are at breaking point.
The survey, from office supplies firm Viking, comes as 30 per cent of human resources directors have warned that employee burnout is common within their organisation.
In London and the South East, this figure rises to 35 per cent.
Phil Sheridan of recruitment firm Robert Half UK, which commissioned the research, said: ‘Employee burnout can affect almost any professional, from top boss to rank and file employee.
‘Many employees who have been tackling increased workloads while putting in long hours are beginning to lose their motivation at work and this is particularly challenging for accounting teams as they prepare for fiscal year-end.’
The survey of HR directors found that 67 per cent of them believe workload is the primary reason for burnout.
However, 56 per cent also believe that long working hours are a problem and 35 per cent believe that unachievable expectations add to the issue.
However, it is not all bad news – 50 per cent of the directors surveyed said that they were trying to prevent employee burnout by promoting a teamwork-based environment.
ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM BURNOUT?
- Drinking a lot of tea or coffee at work in order to work longer hours
- Loss of interest in personal appearance
- Having emotional outbursts
- Becoming more aggressive and unpleasant towards other people
- Becoming withdrawn from colleagues or surrounding environment
- More frequent absence from work due to sickness, flu or muscular pain
- Frequently arriving late for work
Meanwhile, 45 per cent said they were reviewing job functions and 34 per cent said they were providing flexible working options.
The survey also found there are warning signs when someone is running on empty.
It says employers should watch out for staff members frequently arriving late for work, becoming less productive, disagreeing with colleagues, taking increased amounts of sick leave and having emotional outbursts.
The news that office workers are stressed comes as little surprise when another survey found that millions of workers are putting in such long hours they are eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at their desk.
Millions of workers are putting in such long hours they are eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at their desk
The mad dash to get to work in the morning means many of us grab something from the fridge and take it to work to eat on arrival.
Most pop out to buy lunch before hurrying back to eat it at their desk in order to stay on top of the to-do list.
They then find themselves struck by hunger at 5pm and seek a third meal – on which they also dine ‘al desko’ – to keep them going into the evening.
As a result, the research which was commissioned by snack company Wonderful Pistachios, shows that half of us eat both breakfast and lunch at our desks, while 10 per cent of us eat all three meals at work.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2284698/Two-office-workers-dangerously-stressed-overtime-incompetent-colleagues.html#ixzz2M1pCTmyT
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