STRESS UK VS US

The world we live in, the world of stress UK vs US. 
Explore some stress stats and see for yourself.

The term stress is usually used to explain the feelings that people experience when the requirements made on them are higher than their ability to deal with it. At such times people could feel overloaded, under remarkable pressure and incredibly tense psychologically. The may suffer from anxiety and have anxiety attacks.  Stress influences everyone, young and old and is also a normal reaction that humans will experience every once in a while; when confronted with situations that put them under pressure.

Stress can be considered in conditions of external and internal stressors. External stressors are sources of stress that people can see, they are all around us, these range from traumas, life experience or just daily problems. Internal stressors are sources of stress that are inside us and tend to be the most frequent sources of stress. They will be the thoughts and emotions that pop into your mind and make you feel uneasy, these ranges from unrealistic objectives, uncertainties, low self-confidence and apprehensions.

The workplace is a key element in stress. A report conducted by the International Stress Management Association found that over 50 percent of men and women in work suffered from stress over a period of a year. Also, statistics show that one-fourth of employees had taken time off for being sick and tired due to stress. Common factors behind stress at the job include; workloads, extended hours, responsibilities, role targets, bullying or harassment, insufficient job security, poor working environment, the organisational framework, profession development and inadequate support. Stress is present in all companies, particularly if employees are confronted with much workload, little support, job dissatisfaction and too little autonomy.

Based on the American Psychological Association's total annual stress study, 65 percent of US citizens declare that work is number one on their list of stress sources. It may be easy and would cost nothing to write off the opinions of this 65 percent as a statement coming from lazy/incompetent people. But the actual monetary cost of this opinion is quite shocking and will leave you wide-eyed with probably this thought in mind “this a serious problem that needs to be addressed in your organisation”. ​

Effect of stress on daily productivity:
41% lose 15 to 30 minutes of productivity a day
36% lose 1 hour or more each day
23% report their productivity is not affected by stress ​
Effect of stress on effectiveness:
46% come to work 1 to 4 days per year when too stressed to be effective
30% show up that way 5 or more days per year
24% say stress does not influence their effectiveness
Effect of stress on attendance:
55% miss 1 or 2 days per year
29% miss 3 to 6 days per year
16% miss more than 6 days per year​
Effect of stress on personal tasks: 
41% lose less than 30 minutes per day
40% lose 30 minutes per day
​19% lose more than 1 hour per day

(A data presentation of the effects of stress based on research carried out in October 2012 by a ComPsych Stress Pulse survey.)

Stress UK vs US

​You can't remove stress from a workforce. In fact, the way employees respond to and relate with stressors demonstrates to an extent their capacities to handle unpleasant situations. However, if rampant stress issues remain unaddressed, the consequences will be damaging in two main ways: First, your employees' output and health are affected, and second, the results of stress -- increased absenteeism, higher turnover, lower quality and level of work, which will, in turn, lower your profits.
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Stress levels in the workplace are rising with 6  in 10 workers in major global economies experiencing increased workplace stress. China (86%) has the highest increase in workplace stress (The Regus Group). Data on two of the worlds big economies, US and UK, provide a chilling insight into the stress levels experienced by workers in these countries.

Stress UK vs US, check out some interesting stress stats below.

The New Normal: Stress in the US

Some facts and stress stats

• The Stress in America survey results shows that adults continue to report high levels of stress and many reports that their stress has increased over the past year – American Psychological Association.

• 75% of adults reported experiencing moderate to high levels of stress in the past month and nearly half reported that their stress has increased in the past year – American Psychological Association.

• Approximately 1 out of 75 people may experience panic disorder – National Institutes of Mental Health.

• Stress is a top health concern for U.S. teens between 9th and 12th grade, psychologists say that if they don’t learn healthy ways to manage that stress now, it could have serious long-term health implications – American Psychological Association.

• 80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress.  And 42% say their coworkers need such help – American Institute of Stress.

The New Normal: Stress in the UK

Some facts and stress stats

• The total number of cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2015/16 was 488,000 cases, a prevalence rate of 1510 per 100,000 workers.
• The total number of new cases was 224,000, with an incidence rate of 690 per 100,000 workers. The estimated number and rate have remained broadly flat for more than a decade.
• The total number of working days lost due to this condition in 2015/16 was 11.7 million days. This equated to an average of 23.9 days lost per case. Working days lost per worker showed a generally downward trend up to around 2009/10; since then the rate has been broadly flat.
• In 2015/16 stress accounted for 37% of all work-related ill health cases and 45% of all working days lost due to
  ​ill health.
• Stress is more common in the public services. By occupation, jobs that are common across public service industries (such as healthcare workers; teaching professionals; business, media and public service professionals) show higher levels of stress as compared to all jobs.
• The main work factors cited by respondents as causing work-related stress, depression or anxiety (LFS) were workload pressures, including tight deadlines and too much responsibility and a lack of managerial support.
  (All stress stats & facts from the 2016 Labour Force Survey.)​

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