Yahoo Finance Why one in 10 Brits want a new job in 2020
More than one in 10 Brits are currently thinking of leaving their job, and more than one in 10 women have actually left a job in the past year due to stress.
Mental health is a main reason for looking to change jobs, a study conducted by Cartridge People found.
Over 15 million days are lost every year due to employees suffering from work-related stress. Additionally, over 500,000 people in the UK feel ill as a result of their level of work-related stress.
READ MORE: The jobs of the future that Brits are most keen to take on
The research found there are a growing number of reasons why workers may find their job is causing them stress.
In addition to the internal factors within a business such as a difficult work environment or an unhelpful boss, the impact of external factors such as Brexit are now becoming a cause of stress.
The main reason for stress at work is workload with a staggering 53% of women and 43% of men saying this is why they’re stressed in the workplace.
READ MORE: How to fall in love with work again in 2020
We can all find implementing new systems at work a stressful experience so it’s no surprise to see technology is the second highest cause of stress.
Nearly a fifth (18%) of men said they were stressed out by technology in their office or workplace while nearly a quarter (23%) of women said this was what caused their stress levels to rise.
At an unprecedented time of political uncertainty, Brits were asked whether Brexit was a reason they were stressed in work. A significant 15% said yes.
READ MORE: The 20 best places to work in Britain
It’s often said that going for a walk to “clear your head” is a good coping mechanism, and 39% admitted to having to go for a walk away from the office or workplace as a result of being stressed at least once a week. Nearly a quarter (24%) of women said they’d go for a walk at least once a day.
When those who took part in the study were asked how often they visited social media websites — including Snapchat and WhatsApp — to counter feeling stressed, 20% said they would go online at least once a day.
READ MORE: Employers losing £15bn a year to workers' money worries
However, the statistics for the number of women visiting social media when stressed found 30% would use social media daily to cope with stress and half of those would visit social media sites at least three times a day.
Neil Shah from The Stress Management Society said: “We find ourselves, more so than ever before, in a time of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. The current socio-political-economic climate is such that it’s understandable that people are more stressed than ever before.”
The report highlights workload, change, support, and burn-out as key reasons why people are experiencing stress at work. An unresolved Brexit and December’s election have added to the already heavy daily demands most of us are subjected to and it could be that these issues are causing even more stress.
