If you are stressed at work, then you are not alone. According to a survey conducted by YouGov, 64 per cent of workers in the UK have said that they feel stressed by their job.

stressedThis is not exactly ‘news’ as at some point during our working lives we are all likely to feel stressed and under pressure to ‘do a good job’. Equally, quite often it is this stress that drives us but when it reaches levels where we are unhappy; it can have the opposite effect.

A survey named ‘The Big Work Survey’ was conducted by YouGov on behalf of the health insurance provider Westfield Health. They questioned 2,000 UK workers and 500 individuals in senior decision making roles and asked them about their experiences of employment.

The results were then broken down by region and indicated that Scottish employees are amongst the most stressed at work, with 71 per cent admitting to high levels of pressure. Those slightly further down the country in Yorkshire and Humber were close behind with 69 per cent voicing similar concerns. In Wales, where the lowest percentage said that they felt work stress, still over 50 per cent said that at some point, work has caused them to feel anxious. Other work niggles included talking loudly, gossiping and lateness.

The Big Work Survey facts:

  • 82% said that they worked more than their contracted hours in the past 12 months.
  • 59% that they had attended work even though they were ill, because of work commitments.
  • 29% said that they had cancelled time off because they felt the pressure to work.
  • 47% complained that their workplace was not a ‘fun and healthy environment’.
  • 46% of people eat lunch at their desks.
  • 54% say that they don’t take breaks (other than lunch on a typical day).

Despite all of these results, the majority have said that they ‘like their jobs’ and said that the ideal boss was ‘Richard Branson’.

Sadly, we don’t all work for Richard Branson but if you are lucky enough to or enjoy your job – then great. If you are unhappy, then there has never been a better time to think about changing your career or moving up the ladder to the job that you really want.

We spend around 40 years of our lives working, so it is vital that you try to find a career in an area you love working in and if at first you don’t succeed – keep trying! We have had many customers who have a plan A and a plan B. Perhaps you are a newly qualified Accountant for example who also has administrative skills – your plan A is to secure a Trainee Accountancy role but your plan B is to get a job as soon as possible to pay the rent and you will consider Admin positions.

Whatever your goals are, our advice is to always try and reach your plan A in your career and we can help you get to noticed by writing an eye catching, attention grabbing, professional CV that will help you stand head and shoulders above your competition.