Stress “tears down” employee productivity and motivation, warned Chris Britton, people experience director at Reward Gateway Edenred, as he urged HR and employers to take stock of employee stress at work.
As April is Stress Awareness Month, he said it is an ideal time to reflect on how stress affects people mentally and physically.
Research conducted by the provider last year found that 40 percent of workers said stress at work has caused them to stop going above and beyond for their employer.
The survey, with more than 2,026 employees and 1,001 UK HR managers, found that 36 percent of employees reported frequently feeling stressed at work.
Close to half (48 percent) of survey respondents reported that workplace stress has negatively impacted their wellbeing.
More than a third (36 percent) said they feel unsupported by their employer, while 30 percent revealed that they have lost trust in their employer.
A fifth reported feeling uncertain or unclear about their company’s goals and a further fifth said they feel isolated from their colleagues.
The findings are a concern because further research from the provider found that employees who never or rarely feel stressed collaborate better within their team and across their organisation than stressed employees.
Almost six in ten (58 percent) employees who reported that they rarely feel stressed also said they aren’t afraid to take risks or make mistakes due to having no blame culture at their organisation, compared to 41 percent of stressed employees.
More than half (52 percent) agreed that they feel safe going to HR whenever they have issues with their manager or colleagues, but only 35 percent of stressed employees also said this.
Fifty-six percent of less stressed employees said that their employer offers a good level of employee benefits, which are tailored to their individual needs, compared to 37 percent of stressed employees.
Nearly half of stressed employees (46 percent) said their mental wellbeing has declined in recent years, compared to 12 percent of those who rarely or never feel stressed.
Britton said: “Stress and its impact on employees is not a novel phenomenon, though this may be a driver of why it’s been normalised in the workplace. There is a general expectation that employees must ‘carry on’ with their work despite experiencing declining mental health and symptoms of burn-out like detachment, irritability and exhaustion. While younger generations are being more mindful of mental wellbeing, businesses need to make this a priority in their workplaces.
“Stress creates a dampener on workplace culture, and more importantly, tears down employees and their mood, productivity and motivation to try harder and do better. Especially within the UK amidst the push to ‘Get Britain Working Again’, it’s crucial organisations take initiatives to make stress-free workplaces, so employees actually look forward to cracking on with their work.”
