Updated September 23 2008 - Research published earlier this year in Occupational and Environmental
Medicine has found that mental health problems in childhood have a detrimental impact on subsequent working life
with increased levels of depression and anxiety.
Researchers analysed data from over 8000 participants in the 1958 Birth Cohort, a long-term study of
babies born during one week in March of that year. Their mental health was reviewed at the ages of 7, 11, and 16
using information from teachers and parents, and at the ages of 23 and 33 using personal interviews. Participants
reaching the age of 45 were invited to discuss their working lives and mental health.
The researchers found that being single, living in rented accommodation, having a chronic illness,
or no qualifications were all linked to depression and anxiety in mid life. However, workplace stressors, including
lack of control over decisions, low levels of social support, and high levels of job insecurity increased the risk
of depression and anxiety by two to four times.
Internalising behaviours in early childhood and adulthood - such as
depression or lack of concentration - strongly predicted poor quality working life. Researchers suggest mental
health problems in early childhood and adulthood may have knock-on effects, inhibiting education and subsequent
employment prospects, or resulting in a tendency to opt for apparently less demanding work that turns out to be
less rewarding and more stressful.
Stress is a taboo subject
A study released in 2003 showed that stress was still regarded as a taboo subject in the workplace.
Despite the huge costs and high risks associated with work-related stress,
many working environments are still chiefly characterised by high pressure
and heavy workloads. Moreover, susceptibility to stress is very much
considered to be a weakness that employees cannot afford to highlight
without fear of repercussions.
These findings came from Hot under the
collar: how stress is impacting on the 21st century business environment
completed by Cubiks, a specialist HR consultancy. Specific
findings include:
- Complaining of stress will damage your career prospects -
76% of survey respondents thought that their career prospects would be
damaged if they complained of stress, and managers confirmed that they are
right to think this. 79% of managers said they would be less likely to
employ a candidate if they suspected that they were prone to stress and 87%
would be less likely to promote an existing employee if they had doubts over
their ability to handle stress
- Stress levels are rising and will get higher - One in four
said that their average stress levels at work were either high or very high
and almost half expect these levels to increase in the next 12 months
- The economic downturn is influencing stress levels - Only 9%
considered poor compensation and benefits to be a major concern, which
indicates that those who have not been affected by redundancy or
restructuring are grateful to be in employment. Job insecurity was stated as
being a cause of stress for almost half of all respondents.
- It's not just emotive tasks such as dismissing staff or
announcing redundancies that cause stress for managers - A large proportion
of managers said that core people management tasks such as handling
performance appraisals or conducting the recruitment interview were a
significant source of stress for them. This suggests that managers are not
receiving the training needed to perform in their role
- Few organisations provide facilities for stressed employees
- Only one third (34%) of respondents said that stress was recognised as an
issue in their workplace and just 31% of respondents said that personal
counselling services were available to them. Fewer still (27%) said that
their organisation has any formal process for handling grievances or
concerns relating to stress.
Although 49% of respondents did think that their line-manager would be
concerned or sympathetic if they complained of stress, a quarter (24%)
believed that their line managers would become irritated or annoyed if they
raised stress as an issue. Almost half said that their relationship with
their superiors was a considerable or major cause of concern for them and
one in four (23%) complained that they were suffering from harassment or
bullying.
According to Matt Dean, employment lawyer and Head of Employment Law Training (ELT) at
international law firm Simmons & Simmons:
"Providing counselling for employees is an important tool in
managing stress. Employers have a duty to provide a safe working
environment. The Court of Appeal last year indicated that employers
offering a confidential counselling service with appropriate referrals are
"unlikely to be in breach of duty". Even with counselling, employers
cannot afford to ignore warning signs that an employee is suffering stress.
Training for managers in how to recognise warning signs and how to manage
this issue is key to limit legal liability and improve morale."
Occupational Stress
A report from the Industrial Society, Occupational Stress, published
in 2001 showed that almost 70% of people surveyed cited difficulty
in balancing work and home demands as a significant contributing factor to
occupational stress. Nearly 50% reported unrealistic deadlines and the
consequent time pressure as a factor. More than 40% identified poor
communications as a factor in raising stress levels.
Other findings:
- 86% of respondents considered that stress was a problem in their
organisation - 36% rating it as being significantly so.
- 79% identified increased absence as the main symptom of stress in an employee.
- 53% regard stress as something an organisation can address proactively.
- 95% view supportive managers as the workplace factor most likely to help employees cope with stress.
The following were identified as positive measures for reducing stress:
- good employee communication (68%)
- realistic deadlines (53%)
- empowering staff (32%)
- a 'no blame culture' (45%)
- flexible working arrangements (44%)
Related articles:
Stress
