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US Workers Stressing Out
The survey, conducted by Integra Realty Resources found that workers are increasingly having arguments or breaking down under pressure, in fact:
· just over 40% saying their workplace is a place
where yelling and verbal abuse takes place,
· a little under 30% admit to yelling at co-workers
because of stress,
· almost a quarter have been driven to tears because
of workplace stress,
· some 12% work where machinery or equipment has been
damaged through workplace rage
one of 10 work in an atmosphere where physical violence has
occurred because of stress, and
· one in a hundred workers say that workplace stress
has caused them personally to strike a co-worker.
High Rise, High Stress
Perhaps the most striking statistics from this year’s study come from Americans who work in high-rise office buildings. According to the survey,
· some 13% of those high-rise workers have
considered changing jobs as a result of September’s
terrorist attacks, compared to just 3% of workers overall,
· almost 40% of high-rise workers say they are more
fearful for their personal safety at their workplace as a
result of the attacks, compared to 20% for workers overall,
· over a third of high-rise workers surveyed say they
have some fear of a terrorist attack using anthrax
delivered by mail, compared to 18% of workers overall who
feel this way, and
· a quarter of high rise workers expressed some level
of fear of an attack by bomb or airplane, compared to 10%
of the workforce overall
The survey also revealed that:
· one in 10 workers has called in sick because of
workplace stress, and
· one in five has quit a job in the past because of
stress.
Overcrowded
Workspace may play a role in stress at work, according to the study:
· some 12% say that overcrowded physical conditions
have contributed to their workplace stress,
· a similar percentage have concerns about the safety
of their workplace or its parking lot, and
· almost a quarter say it’s time for their employer to
redecorate.
Other causes of stress revealed by the survey were
· unreasonable deadlines, cited by 27%,
· an excessive personal workload, mentioned by 29%
· the rudeness of co-workers or clients, listed by 32%
· too much caffeine was mentioned by 7%,
· while 9% say excessive e-mail is a factor.
Unhealthy
The study also examined the results of workplace stress, finding that it:
· caused 30% of Americans to be unable to sleep,
· has driven 23% of Americans to consume excessive
alcohol,
· has caused 17% to smoke in excess, and
· has driven 23% to eat chocolate.
Results also show that work is physically stressful too. At the end of the work day,
· almost 60% complain of workplace-related back or
neck pain,
· two-fifths complain of stressed out eyes, and
· a third say that their hands hurt.
The survey comprised the responses of 1206 working adults in the continental US. It was conducted between November 8 to November 12, 2001.