If you're feeling stressed, burned out and just plain lousy, the reason could be your job.
That's according to new research by health and well-being provider Benenden, which found that 87 percent of employees blame their workplace for making them ill, with only 25 percent saying they feel healthy at work on a regular basis. The office is the place they pick up illnesses, they believe, and 75 percent say they rarely feel healthy at work.
Stress plays a large part, with 44 percent saying they are stressed at the office on a regular basis — but even more people are depressed at work: 50 percent confess to it, with only 40 percent saying they're happy in their workplace.
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You may be sick, but the odds are that you're going to work anyway; 46 percent say they head into the office even if they're ill. In addition, workers admit to being plagued by regular health issues, including backache (84 percent), eye strain (42 percent) and regular migraines (27 percent) all being just part of the job.
And all that stress and illness is exhausting; 91 percent say they feel tired several times a week at their desk. Nearly two thirds of workers (58 percent) say work worries keep them awake at night. Women, incidentally, are more prone to worrying about work than men, at 64 percent compared with 52 percent.
Men (29 percent) felt generally healthier at work than women (20 percent), while women were 10 percent more likely to state that they picked up bugs and illnesses at work (39 percent, compared to 29 percent of men). And it was women again (50 percent) who seemed to suffer more aches and pains then men (40 percent).
One might think that employers would want to encourage employees to take more action to improve their health, but no: More than half of those working (54 percent) say continual work commitments stop them from getting to the gym. In addition, three quarters of employees say their employer doesn't actively encourage them to be healthy and exercise.
And considering that 23 percent say they eat at their desks five times a week, with 39 percent of employees saying that they eat at their desks because they have too much work, it sounds as if a lot of people are in desperate need of a vacation.
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