Women report more stress on the job than men, survey says; are employers hurting productivity?
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About one-third of employees experience chronic stress in their work, and women experience stress at higher levels than men, a new survey has found.
The reasons for work stress? Big workloads, too little pay and not enough opportunity for advancement, according to the survey by the American Psychological Association. The Wall Street Journal has a story and a graphic illustrating the results.
Twenty-seven percent of men and 38 percent of women said they don’t receive enough pay for their jobs, while 30 percent of men and 32 percent of women said they don’t have sufficient opportunities for internal advancement. Other problems cited by survey respondents: 39 percent said a heavy workload was a significant factor in their stress, while 33 percent said work interfering with family or personal time was a significant factor.
Too much negative stress can raise blood pressure, produce agitation and cause lapses in judgment, the story says. The Wall Street Journal interviewed physician David Posen, who wrote Is Work Killing You? A Doctor’s Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress.
“Chronic stress reduces all of the things that help productivity—mental clarity, short-term memory, decision-making and moods,” Posen said.
