Keep calm and carry on – Brits show stiff upper lip in global stress test
November 28th, 2009 | by Amy Edwards
This article was submitted by Andy Birks from Regus.
In a show of steely British will, our workers are demonstrating greater resilience to recessionary pressures in the workplace than other nations. According to a global survey undertaken by Regus (www.regus.com) of over 11,000 employees across 13 countries, 58% of workers worldwide experienced an appreciable rise in their workplace stress over the last two years, but fewer Brits are feeling the strain.
The Regus BusinessTracker survey found that British workers experienced a lower rise in stress than their international counterparts, with 48% reporting that their levels of stress have grown over the past two years – this compares to 58% of US workers and a staggering 86% of employees in China. Marginally more resilient than the Brits are the Dutch, of whom 47% claim to feel more stressed. Although fewer British employees have felt their stress levels increase, it cannot go unnoticed that nearly half are feeling more of a strain. Regus’s survey confirmed that British workers are particularly stressed by the risk of business failure or unemployment: 44% of workers confirmed that these pressures are responsible for the hike in their stress levels.
Company size has also had an influence on the level of stress increase experienced in recent years. Regus found that workers in larger British companies (more than 1,000 employees) have experienced a greater rise in workplace stress: 62% of employees in larger firms have reported higher levels of stress, versus 42% of people in SMEs (less than 250 employees). This may be due to the potential for downsizing that is, by definition, greater in larger firms. The threat of redundancy will inevitably lead to more stress, and those who remain often find themselves with double the responsibilities but no additional reward.
Sector variations on a global level were also apparent throughout the survey, with workers in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry reporting the greatest increase in stress (65%), and retail showing least growth in stress (52%).
Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus comments: “Stress in the workforce can provide companies with real problems: management and work productivity can be seriously impaired, motivation levels may be damaged, and conflict between colleagues can undermine professionalism. With any of these factors in play, companies will see damage to bottom-line commercial and financial results. At a time when firms are fighting to return to significant growth, we can see why managing stress becomes a crucial issue. One of the most significant factors in reducing employees’ stress levels is helping them to maintain a healthy work-life balance. By implementing flexible workplace solutions, employers can offer employees the ability to work in whole or in part from home, have a hot-desk capability in multiple locations, or call on working facilities as needed. Many companies have found themselves facing diminishing revenues and a smaller workforce, but with no ability to flex their office cost commitments. Flexible solutions not only shake adherence to rigid commercial leasehold arrangements, but also allow firms to grow with considerably less stress for employee and employer alike.”
Proportion of respondents whose stress levels have increased appreciably in the last two years:
Causes of increased stress levels over the last two years:
The Regus BusinessTracker surveyed over 11,000 business respondents from 13 countries from the Regus global contacts database during August and September 2009. The Regus global contacts database of over 1 million business-people worldwide is highly representative of senior managers and owners in service businesses across the globe. In this research project, respondents were asked how their levels of stress at work had changed (or not changed) over the period of two years, and asked to identify the major causes of stress in their workplaces. The survey was managed and administered by the independent organisation, MarketingUK.
Although fewer British employees have felt their stress levels increase, it cannot go unnoticed that nearly half are feeling more of a strain. Regus’s survey confirmed that British workers are particularly stressed by the risk of business failure or unemployment: 44% of workers confirmed that these pressures are responsible for the hike in their stress levels.
Company size has also had an influence on the level of stress increase experienced in recent years. Regus found that workers in larger British companies (more than 1,000 employees) have experienced a greater rise in workplace stress: 62% of employees in larger firms have reported higher levels of stress, versus 42% of people in SMEs (less than 250 employees). This may be due to the potential for downsizing that is, by definition, greater in larger firms. The threat of redundancy will inevitably lead to more stress, and those who remain often find themselves with double the responsibilities but no additional reward.
Sector variations on a global level were also apparent throughout the survey, with workers in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry reporting the greatest increase in stress (65%), and retail showing least growth in stress (52%).
Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus comments: “Stress in the workforce can provide companies with real problems: management and work productivity can be seriously impaired, motivation levels may be damaged, and conflict between colleagues can undermine professionalism. With any of these factors in play, companies will see damage to bottom-line commercial and financial results. At a time when firms are fighting to return to significant growth, we can see why managing stress becomes a crucial issue.
One of the most significant factors in reducing employees’ stress levels is helping them to maintain a healthy work-life balance. By implementing flexible workplace solutions, employers can offer employees the ability to work in whole or in part from home, have a hot-desk capability in multiple locations, or call on working facilities as needed. Many companies have found themselves facing diminishing revenues and a smaller workforce, but with no ability to flex their office cost commitments. Flexible solutions not only shake adherence to rigid commercial leasehold arrangements, but also allow firms to grow with considerably less stress for employee and employer aIn a show of steely British will, our workers are demonstrating greater resilience to recessionary pressures in the workplace than other nations. According to a global survey undertaken by Regus (www.regus.com) of over 11,000 employees across 13 countries, 58% of workers worldwide experienced an appreciable rise in their workplace stress over the last two years, but fewer Brits are feeling the strain.
The Regus BusinessTracker survey found that British workers experienced a lower rise in stress than their international counterparts, with 48% reporting that their levels of stress have grown over the past two years – this compares to 58% of US workers and a staggering 86% of employees in China. Marginally more resilient than the Brits are the Dutch, of whom 47% claim to feel more stressed.
Although fewer British employees have felt their stress levels increase, it cannot go unnoticed that nearly half are feeling more of a strain. Regus’s survey confirmed that British workers are particularly stressed by the risk of business failure or unemployment: 44% of workers confirmed that these pressures are responsible for the hike in their stress levels.
Company size has also had an influence on the level of stress increase experienced in recent years. Regus found that workers in larger British companies (more than 1,000 employees) have experienced a greater rise in workplace stress: 62% of employees in larger firms have reported higher levels of stress, versus 42% of people in SMEs (less than 250 employees). This may be due to the potential for downsizing that is, by definition, greater in larger firms. The threat of redundancy will inevitably lead to more stress, and those who remain often find themselves with double the responsibilities but no additional reward.
Sector variations on a global level were also apparent throughout the survey, with workers in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry reporting the greatest increase in stress (65%), and retail showing least growth in stress (52%).
Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus comments: “Stress in the workforce can provide companies with real problems: management and work productivity can be seriously impaired, motivation levels may be damaged, and conflict between colleagues can undermine professionalism. With any of these factors in play, companies will see damage to bottom-line commercial and financial results. At a time when firms are fighting to return to significant growth, we can see why managing stress becomes a crucial issue.
One of the most significant factors in reducing employees’ stress levels is helping them to maintain a healthy work-life balance. By implementing flexible workplace solutions, employers can offer employees the ability to work in whole or in part from home, have a hot-desk capability in multiple locations, or call on working facilities as needed. Many companies have found themselves facing diminishing revenues and a smaller workforce, but with no ability to flex their office cost commitments. Flexible solutions not only shake adherence to rigid commercial leasehold arrangements, but also allow firms to grow with considerably less stress for employee and employer alikeIn a show of steely British will, our workers are demonstrating greater resilience to recessionary pressures in the workplace than other nations. According to a global survey undertaken by Regus (www.regus.com) of over 11,000 employees across 13 countries, 58% of workers worldwide experienced an appreciable rise in their workplace stress over the last two years, but fewer Brits are feeling the strain.
The Regus BusinessTracker survey found that British workers experienced a lower rise in stress than their international counterparts, with 48% reporting that their levels of stress have grown over the past two years – this compares to 58% of US workers and a staggering 86% of employees in China. Marginally more resilient than the Brits are the Dutch, of whom 47% claim to feel more stressed.
Although fewer British employees have felt their stress levels increase, it cannot go unnoticed that nearly half are feeling more of a strain. Regus’s survey confirmed that British workers are particularly stressed by the risk of business failure or unemployment: 44% of workers confirmed that these pressures are responsible for the hike in their stress levels.
Company size has also had an influence on the level of stress increase experienced in recent years. Regus found that workers in larger British companies (more than 1,000 employees) have experienced a greater rise in workplace stress: 62% of employees in larger firms have reported higher levels of stress, versus 42% of people in SMEs (less than 250 employees). This may be due to the potential for downsizing that is, by definition, greater in larger firms. The threat of redundancy will inevitably lead to more stress, and those who remain often find themselves with double the responsibilities but no additional reward.
Sector variations on a global level were also apparent throughout the survey, with workers in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry reporting the greatest increase in stress (65%), and retail showing least growth in stress (52%).
Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus comments: “Stress in the workforce can provide companies with real problems: management and work productivity can be seriously impaired, motivation levels may be damaged, and conflict between colleagues can undermine professionalism. With any of these factors in play, companies will see damage to bottom-line commercial and financial results. At a time when firms are fighting to return to significant growth, we can see why managing stress becomes a crucial issue.
One of the most significant factors in reducing employees’ stress levels is helping them to maintain a healthy work-life balance. By implementing flexible workplace solutions, employers can offer employees the ability to work in whole or in part from home, have a hot-desk capability in multiple locations, or call on working facilities as needed. Many companies have found themselves facing diminishing revenues and a smaller workforce, but with no ability to flex their office cost commitments. Flexible solutions not only shake adherence to rigid commercial leasehold arrangements, but also allow firms to grow with considerably less stress for employee and employer alike
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