Workplace stress alert! 60 per cent employees plan to quit jobs soon, claims survey

Almost 80 per cent of working professionals in India complain that they suffer from stress and their organisations don't have any programmes to manage stress at work. Of them, a resounding 60 per cent want to quit their jobs on account of the high levels of stress, a new study has found.

'Workplace stress' or 'occupational stress' is identified as a medical hazard, which has serious physical and psychological implications on individuals' wellbeing. 

Every working professional – regardless of age, experience, gender and profile – has felt the pressure of work-related stress at some point in their career, says the study by TimesJobs. 

"While some level of stress is acceptable but chronic stress has become a common ailment for many professionals, issues such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, migraines, and heart problems start affecting employee wellbeing and productivity. The study reveals, 60 per cent of employees find workplace stress so high that they want to quit their jobs. This is not a healthy sign," says Nilanjan Roy, Head of Strategy, Times Business Solutions. 

Smaller organisations are more stressful 

The study reveals 80 per cent of employees complain of stress at work, to the extent that nearly 60 per cent want to quit their jobs because of high stress levels. 

Further, employees belonging to small-size organisations report comparatively higher level of stress at work than employees from large organisations. About 50 per cent employees from small organisations said they face high level of stress at work while 30 per cent employees from large organisations say so. 

Half of all employees attribute stress at workplace to having a bad boss. For 35 per cent employees their poor pay is a major cause of stress. Nearly 30 per cent employees say that a bad work environment causes them stress, 25 per cent employees cite unclear job expectations as the reason for their stress and lack of recognition at workplace is resulting in stress for 20 per cent employees. 

Stress takes its toll 

Employees are reporting multiple physical and psychological disorders dues to work stress. About 35 per cent employees have developed insomnia, 30 per cent feel tired & fatigued all the time, loss of appetite is a major physical impact for 25 per cent employees and 10 per cent say they have persistent body aches. 

On the psychological front, 40 per cent employees report depression as the main consequence of workplace stress. Increased irritability has occurred to 25 per cent employees, another 25 per cent complaint of increased incidences of anger and 10 per cent have developed anxiety issues. 

While 60 per cent employees want to quit their jobs because of workplace stress, 20 per cent feel venting it out helps them. For 10 per cent employees relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and meditation help them cope with stress and another 10 per cent take a break and go on vacation to recover from stress. 

While 90 per cent employees are interested in participating in corporate stress management programs, it is revealing that 80 per cent of them report that there are no such programs offered by their organisations states the study. 

Stress causes many long-term adverse impacts, in order to combat this growing menace employers must work with their employees to diagnose and cure this rampant condition. Having an employee-friendly culture, a flexible work environment, feedback and recognition programs, stress management sessions and open communication policies are some steps that can help reduce stress levels within organisations significantly.