26 per cent take time off because of stress

Stress at workMore than a quarter (26%) of respondents take time off work due to stress, according to research by job listings website CV Library.

Its survey of 1,100 employees also found that 61% of respondents feel strain in their place of work.

The research also found:

  • 25% of respondents do not know how to deal with stress and try to keep it to themselves.
  • The five most common mechanisms that respondents use to cope with stress are: speaking with friends and family (54%); talking to co-workers (24%); having a few drinks (17%); comfort eating (15%); taking time off work (13%).
  • When taking time off work, 16% of respondents are too scared to tell their boss that stress was the cause of absence.
  • 61% of respondents believe they do not have enough time in the day to complete basic tasks.
  • More than two-thirds (69%) of respondents cite being rushed to complete work as a cause of stress and 52% name feeling underappreciated as a stress-inducer.
  • 7% of respondents fail to achieve a good work-life balance.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV Library, said: It’s worrying that such a large proportion of the UK’s working population suffers from stress, which is being caused by strained situations in the workplace.

“What is more concerning is the negative stigma attached to stress that prevents employees from being honest with their boss.

“Staff often feel that admitting to feeling overworked or pressured will automatically create assumptions around their ability to do a job; for the benefit of both workers and businesses, this attitude needs to change.”