United Kingdom

40% of employees at breaking point due to work-related stress

January 2020

  • Four in 10 adults in the UK are close to breaking point at work
  • The average employee spends 2 hours and 45 minutes moaning about their job per week
  • Yet, almost half of those who feel stressed at work do not take action but hope the problem will go away on its own

Man stressed at work

Two-fifths of working adults are close to breaking point at work, according to a new study.

Research by CABA, a charity that supports the wellbeing of chartered accountants, found that employees spend around 31 minutes in an average week complaining about their boss, and almost three hours moaning about their job.

The study, which polled 2,000 professionals working across multiple sectors in the UK, found that the average working adult feels stressed for almost a third of their working day.

It also showed that employees lose an average of five hours of sleep each week because of the pressures they face at work, while three in five said they feel stressed while on holiday.

Richard Jenkins, psychologist and spokesperson for CABA, said: “Everyone will experience pressures day to day. A level of pressure can actually make us work better, however too much pressure that rises to an unmanageable level leads to stress.

“The working public needs to know how to manage their pressure to avoid reaching boiling point.”

It follows a study from mental health charity Mind earlier this year, which found that only 56% of staff overall said they felt their employer supports their mental health.

The Labour Force Survey 2017/18 found that 595,000 employees suffer from long-term work-related stress, depression or anxiety issues, which resulted in the loss of 15.4 million working days last year.

Make mental health a key focus for your organisation

For more information or to discuss any of the issues outlined in this article, please get in touch by emailing us at [email protected] or call us on 0344 573 0033.

 

Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 00210725. Registered Office: The Aon Centre, The Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AN.