14 DAY TRIAL // A new British Academy report has concluded that British people are more stressed with every day that passes by, and this phenomenon is starting to become a big social problem in the current economic crisis.
Report author Professor Tarani Chandola from the University of Manchester, discovered that even people who had not lost their job because of the crisis, are constantly under the pressure of company restructuring and downsizing.
The report says that this is due to the fact that the employers are more strict on sick leaves, which forces the employees to work in poor health, and this can lead to more frequent long-term health problems, and higher costs for the society.
In the UK there is no legislation concerning this issue, so Professor Chandola questions, in her report, the true effectiveness of the present voluntary code of practice, which is supposed to guide employers in matters of work stress.
“With attention focused on people losing their jobs following Government cuts, it’s easy to forget the added pressure put on those still in employment who are often taking on extra duties and working longer hours,” Professor Chandola, also a Medical Sociologist, said.
“Work stress has increased since 1992, especially for women.
“In the past year these levels have risen at an alarming rate and there are no effective measures in place to prevent the situation worsening.
“Government and employers must take responsibility and measure, mitigate, monitor and act effectively before problems get out of control, with damage to the health of the workforce and the economy.”
The study, is called Stress at Work and it signals an increase of the work 'stressors' like conflict, job security, workload and organizational change, from spring 2009 to spring 2010.
These stressors can cause depression, anxiety, workplace injuries and even suicide, and recent research has also shown that in increases the risk of heart disease by 50%.
The problem is more serious in the public sector, with more than 25% of employees reporting working extra hours (7% more since the recession, unlike only 2% in the private sector).
Another issue in the public sector is job insecurity, which has affected a fifth of workers, who think they are 'likely' to lose their job – 11% more than last year.
There are also more interpersonal conflicts at the workplace, 7% more public workers reporting that they have been bullied by their managers in the past year, unlike 4% in the private sector.
“The Scandinavian societies have taken a lead in developing forms of work organization that are protective of employees’ psychological health.
“The time has come, perhaps, to give serious policy consideration to how similar institutional developments could be encouraged in the UK,” said Professor Duncan Gallie FBA, Chair of the British Academy Working Group, which produced the report.