Study finds that 70% of Irish employees are experiencing stress in work

By September 1, 2020Trending

Does this figure regarding stress in work surprise you?

Work can be very stressful at times. You spend your entire day focusing on your job, and then you go home (or for the most part now days, you’re already home so you just close down the laptop), and decompress. 

I have spoken about workplace pressure, anxiety and burnout before, and how these are things that we need to be very mindful of. 

In fact, I recently came across a study that said that 70% of Irish employees are experiencing stress in their place of work – a figure that is a bit too high for my liking to be honest. 

stress in work

The study found that that 25% of workers spend more than six hours a day sitting, while just over half reported that work impedes their ability to take exercise.

Worryingly, nine out of 10 employees said that they work while sick and three in 10 said they had worked against the advice of their GP. The study, which was published by the Mater Private Healthcare Group, also noted that Irish people spend less than €2 a day on their personal health and wellbeing – yep, less than a cup of coffee. 

So no wonder a significant number of people are suffering from work-related stress.

stress in work

Speaking about the report’s findings, Ms. Mary Morrogh, Consultant General Surgeon, Breast Surgeon & Medical Director of the Mater Private Wellness Programme said:

“We sometimes forget that we are responsible for managing our own health and that how healthy we are depends on the actions, both big and small, that we take every day.”

“People tend to assume that their health only requires attention when they have a new or longstanding medical complaint. Even then, a significant proportion of the workforce will compromise their health by making poor choices, such as delaying presentation to their doctor, or not heeding the advice given by the GP. This must change.”

We couldn’t agree more!

stress in work

Dr Morrogh continued, saying:

“Employers have a significant role to play in helping their workers to maintain optimal health by introducing workplace benefits like healthy lunches, on-site employee health checks or perhaps even subsidised health insurance. By doing so, they are ensuring their workforce remains healthy, motivated, and performing well.”

So, how can we combat this stress, and ensure we’re minding our mental health? Check out our blog post here on how to stay calm and best manage work related stress. 

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Author Rebecca O'Keeffe

More posts by Rebecca O'Keeffe

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