Mental health awareness week: one in three have taken time off due to work stress

• Nine in ten workers say that work has caused them stress; one in five call this a ‘frequent’ occurrence
• One in 25 employees who have experienced stress at work have had to leave a job permanently

One in three (33%) employees across all industries have had to take time off work as they have been so stressed, according to research released today by AAT in support of Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May 2019).

The study of more than 2,000 UK workers, conducted by Opinium Research in April, found that 86% reported that work had stressed them out at some stage in their career, with one in five (19%) calling it a ‘frequent’ occurrence. The most stressed occupation was those working in the charitable sector, where 94% of employees said that work could be a stressful experience, followed by:

• Healthcare (91%)
• Finance/accounting (90%)
• Hotels/leisure/entertainment (90%)

Northern Ireland was the most stressed region in the UK with 92% of employees from the region reporting that they have felt stressed because of work, 25% frequently. The South West of England followed with 90% of employees saying they have been stressed due to the workplace. From a city perspective, Belfast (92%) reported the highest frequency of stress among workers, followed by London, Bristol and Norwich (all 89%). Brighton (77%) has the lowest percentage of stressed employees.

Females more likely to leave jobs permanently due to stress

Of those who have experienced stress in the workplace, one in 25 (4%) reported it was so serious that they had to permanently leave a job. This rises to 5% for women and falls to 3% for men.

One in ten workers in both the charity and hotels/leisure sector who had suffered from stress said that it was severe enough to make them leave a job, falling to 7% in the education industry. 6% of workers who have experienced stress in both Scotland and the North West left their jobs because of it, while Liverpool (10%) and Edinburgh (7%) were the cities seeing the highest instances of workers leaving their role due to stress.

Olivia Hill, Chief HR Officer, AAT said:

With Britons spending an average of 12 years – around a seventh of their lives – at work, it’s in everyone’s best interests to care about employee wellbeing and making the workplace as stress-free an environment as possible.

For employers, positive solutions could include ensuring that flexible working solutions are offered to workers, meaning that they can reduce their hours – and potential stress exposure – actually spent in the workplace. In addition, training is worth considering. Recent research by Linkedin found employees who are offered opportunities to learn at work are 47% less likely to be stressed, 39% more likely to feel productive and successful, and 21% more likely to feel confident and happy.

And for the individual employee, small gestures of generosity, such as offering to make a cup of tea or helping prepare for a meeting, can go a very long way. As workers, we all need to be prepared to take time out to listen to our colleagues’ needs and concerns, raising issues with their manager or even HR if there are practical ways in which support can be offered.