Stress in the job Every third person feels overwhelmed

Stress at work: Every third person feels overwhelmed

03/16/2015

More and more people in Germany endanger their health due to high workload in the job. A new study reveals that every third person in the workplace feels overwhelmed. Experts urge employers to act.

Health hazard due to high workload
Numerous studies have proven in the past that stress makes you sick. According to a new study many Germans endanger their health due to high workload. For the study of the health monitor of Bertelsmann Foundation and the health insurance Barmer GEK were interviewed full-time workers in Germany. According to this, steadily increasing pressure in the workplace means that many employees work more than their body and their psyche can tolerate. The study published on Monday states: „Many people are at risk of endangering themselves.“ It is known that work overload can lead to complaints such as headaches or hypertension.

Almost a quarter waives breaks
A quarter of full-time employees say that they are working too fast, that they believe they can not keep up in the long term. 18 percent said they often reached the limit of their performance and 23 percent abstained from taking breaks. Every eighth even goes to work when he is ill. According to the authors of the study, many are at risk of endangering their own health: „Self-endangering behavior is expressed in addition to the renunciation of recovery in the excessive consumption of seemingly performance-enhancing substances such as nicotine, drugs or in that safety, protection and quality standards are undermined.“

Rising performance and earnings goals
42 percent of respondents said that their working environment is characterized by rising performance and earnings targets. And one in three does not know how to cope with the growing demands in the business. It is easy to overstrain. Another problem is that if the specifications are still met, they are immediately considered a new standard. Every second employee says that there is no escape from this vicious circle. 51 percent of employees said they had no or little influence on their workload. More than 40 percent say so about their work goals.

Business in duty
From the authors becomes regular „open, binding and realistic target setting discussions“ advised with the employers. Study author Anja Chevalier of the Sport University Cologne said according to a message from the news agency dpa that the agreed goals would have to be reached within the contractual working hours. And Gert Kaluza from the GMK Institute for Health Psychology in Marburg said it was particularly important that employees develop a sense of their own limits, so that they could optimally exploit their potential for the long term. It certainly also makes sense for employees to practice relaxation exercises during breaks in their leisure time and, if possible, during breaks to reduce stress. Yoga or autogenic training is one of the options. Brigitte Mohn of the Bertelsmann Foundation Board demanded that the companies also have to act. This allows management to significantly influence the performance culture and create a healthier work environment through realistic work goals. (Ad)