Published: November 6, 2010
Stressed worker
Millions of British workers feel forced to lie to their bosses about having to take stress-induced sick leave, research reveals.
A study by leading mental health charity Mind, released to coincide with Stress Awareness Day (3 November), finds that talking about workplace pressures remains a huge taboo.
Stress has forced one in five workers (19 per cent) to call in sick, yet the vast majority of these (93 per cent) say they have lied to their boss about the real reason for not turning up, citing everything from stomach upsets, housing problems and the illness of a loved one as reasons for their absence.
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind said
Stress can be a taboo word in many workplaces, but pretending the problem isn’t there only makes things worse. Looking after stress levels and promoting a mentally healthy workplace reduces sick leave, helps staff to stay productive and ultimately saves hard-pressed businesses money. In the current climate, it will be increasingly hard for businesses to prosper with an unhappy and stressed workforce, so it’s vital they work with their employees to discuss pressures on staff before they escalate. Curious? Continue reading
Source: Mind
Published: October 2, 2010
Most people in today’s economy are happy just to have a job — any job. But work-related factors like long hours, a poor relationship with your boss, and lack of control over daily tasks — factors that can get worse when the boss is pinching pennies — can contribute to depression as well.
Clearly having a job is better than not having one when you really need it. Those who are unemployed tend to have higher rates of depression (almost 13 percent) than those who are employed full time (7 percent).
But research suggests that some jobs can be more depression-prone than others for a variety of reasons, and certain work-related factors are known to be particularly bad for those already struggling with depression. read more
Source:CNN
Published: September 1, 2009
A Swedish study published in one of the latest issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics discloses new relationships between stress at work and development of rheumatoid arthritis.
Psychosocial work stress, in terms of high psychological demands, low decision latitude or the combination of these stressors (job strain), is associated with an increased risk of several diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease), but it has not been studied in relation to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, research on the relationship between psychosocial work stress and immunological parameters also suggests a possible association with inflammatory conditions, including RA. In order to investigate whether high psychological job demands, low decision latitude and job strain are associated with the risk of developing RA, a group of Swedish investigators used data from EIRA, a large population-based case-control study with incident cases of RA. The study base comprised the population, aged 18–65 years, in middle and southern parts of Sweden during 1996–2003. In total, 1,221 cases and 1,454 controls participated. [continue reading…]
Meaning and balance in everyday life are predictors of health among women. However, the most important predictor of health among men is their ability to manage the demands of their working life, these are the findings of a study by Carita Håkansson, senior lecturer at the School of Health Sciences, Jönköping in Sweden.
Having energy left over for domestic chores and leisure activities after work influences women’s subjective health in a positive way. Furthermore, good subjective health among women is influenced by their experience of meaningfulness both at work, and in activities outside work. However, having time and energy to manage the demands of their working life is the most important factor influencing men’s subjective health. [continue reading…]
