Four in 10 adults are close to 'breaking point' at work

Women are more likely to experience symptoms of impostor syndrome than men. Photo: JESHOOTS.COM/Unsplash
Photo: JESHOOTS.COM/Unsplash

Four in 10 adults are close to “breaking point” at work, research suggests.

A survey of 2,000 professionals by well-being charity CABA found the average working adult feels stressed for almost a third of their entire working day, and five hours of sleep will be lost every week because of the pressures faced in their job.

Checking work emails after hours, last-minute deadlines, having to do a speech or presentation and an overly demanding manager were named as some of the biggest causes of workplace stress.

READ MORE: Online searches for “burnout” have skyrocketed 50% since April

It also emerged that in the average week, employees will complain about their boss for 31 minutes and their job in general for another two hours and 45 minutes.

The study also found seven in 10 adults have vented about their workplace to a colleague, partner, family member or friend.

Despite this, almost half (46%) of those who feel stressed at work do not end up doing anything about it, hoping the problem would go away on its own.

READ MORE: 4.3 million Brits are unhappy at work

Of those who do take action, 38% tell their manager about it. However, more than half (51%), however, simply go for a walk to cool down.

Three in 10 employees have been pushed to the point of tears, while worrying one in five has turned to alcohol to deal with their issues.

When stress has become too much, 31% have called in sick. Another 14% have used their own children as an excuse to avoid the office.

READ MORE: How does overworking affect your health?

But six in 10 feel better once they complain or vent about their workplace if their stress levels get too high.

Unsurprisingly, Monday was found to be the day Brits are most likely to experience workplace stress – with Thursdays generally the least stressful day of the week.

Nearly three in five respondents said they even get stressed when they go on holiday, as they worry about organising a handover and what they’ll miss during their break.

READ MORE: Cardiff is the work stress capital of the UK

“If too much workplace pressure means stress reaches a level that you feel unable to even go to work, it’s time to make a change,” CABA said.

“The first, and often most difficult, step can be to simply talk about it with someone, be it a colleague, manager or just a family member.

"Sometimes just acknowledging that you have too much on can start to address the stress.”

READ MORE: How to talk to your boss about work-related stress

CABA published the findings ahead its upcoming “Drop the pressure” campaign, which aims to highlight and tackle levels of stress primarily among millennial accountants.

The top 10 reasons people complain about their job

  1. Amount of work in general

  2. Lack of recognition/reward

  3. Pay

  4. Colleagues

  5. The job itself

  6. Company culture

  7. Long hours

  8. Amount of work compared to colleagues

  9. Clients

  10. Progression/career path