Stress at Work

Some research into stress at work was conducted on behalf of OPP by Explorandum, an independent market research company; 1,165 line managers completed an online questionnaire. They represented all sizes of organisation and were based throughout the UK.

Impact of stress

Respondents were asked whether they achieve more, less, or the same at work when they are stressed. Their answers highlight the need to prioritise managing stress in the workplace:

• 47% of respondents say that they achieve less

• This increases to 55% for people working in organisations with more than 5000 employees and to 56% for the finance sector

• However, 9% of respondents say that they achieve more. This suggests that, if managed well, stress can be a motivator

• Younger respondents are more likely to respond in this way – 16% of 16-24 year old respondents said they achieve more when stressed

• Female respondents appear to be slightly better at managing stress than their male counterparts

• Whereas 50% of males achieve less when stressed, this decreases to 42% for females

• The impact also appears to relate to the amount of time people have been with an organisation

• Achieving less when stressed increases from 35% for people who have been with the organisation for less than a year to 53% for those who have been there for six to ten years and 48% for those who have been there for ten years or more.

The managers report that the most significant impacts of stress on their staff are:

• Reduced morale (61%)

• Reduced performance (58%)

Other impacts are:

• Absence (40%)

• Team conflict (38%)

• Increased employee turnover (22%)

There are some gender differences

• Males are twice as likely as females to ignore stress and avoid tasks

• Females are more likely to discuss their stress and to spend time planning