90% of employees overwhelmed by work, HR staff tops list

Are you overwhelmed by your workload?

A new study from Step One Recovery has highlighted that nine out of ten workers don’t feel adequately trained to handle their workload – with a shocking three per cent claiming to have turned to drugs to help them cope with the pressure.

After interviewing over 2,000 employees, the report found that one in five staff have taken time off work due to stress, with HR managers cited at the most likely profession to do so.

The top five jobs where employees are most likely to take time off work due to stress are:

- Human Resource Managers (35%)

- Shop Floor Factory Workers (30%)

- Doctors (29%)

- IT Managers (25%)

- Teachers (21%)

One-fifth of those asked said that they feel under-valued at work, with 93% of those earning less than CAD$20,000 believing they are paid too little for the role they have.

“Stress is something people are forced to deal with in all aspects of their lives, however workplace stress is something that we’re seeing more people struggling to cope with,” said Claire Cheek, director at Step One Recovery.

“Stress affects people in different ways, and for some can cause both physical and mental exhaustion, known as ‘burnout.’ Professionals with perfectionist and controlling tendencies are far more likely to be affected by burnout, as they thrive on stress and adrenaline.

“This in turn can lead to self-medication, using alcohol and drugs to ‘unwind’ at the end of the day or even during the work day, such as drinking at lunchtime. Employers often put apparent addiction issues down to stress and anxiety, if they recognise them at all.”