Too much work costs CHF5 billion a year

Stress on the job can be expensive. Keystone

About one in four workers in Switzerland feels overly stressed on the job – creating strain on the economy as well – according to a study commissioned by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

The Job Stress Index 2014, produced by the University of Bern and the Zurich University of Applied Science, surveyed nearly 3,500 people about stress factors like deadlines, workloads and problems with supervisors and colleagues.

The online survey also asked about ameliorating factors like appreciation, autonomy and support from supervisors. Although many employees benefitted from more relief than stress, 24.8% said that the stressful factors outweighed the positive ones.

People working in French-speaking Switzerland seemed slightly more stressed out than their peers in the German-speaking part of the country. And people under 40 felt under more pressure than their older colleagues. There wasn’t a noticeable difference between men and women.

Those working part time seemed more relaxed than their peers with full-time jobs. However, men with part-time jobs were slightly more stressed out than women working 90% or less.

And while researchers saw no differences based on the industry, they noticed that managers suffered less stress than those without management duties. They concluded that this was because leaders can decide how and when tasks get done.

Exhaustion

Some 40% of respondents said they were exhausted. A quarter reported “fairly high” to “high” levels of exhaustion. Those working full time were hit harder than those working part time, and more women than men said they felt worn out.

Workers with more job stress or fatigue also reported problems sleeping, increased irritation and poorer overall health. According to the study, they miss an average of 4.3% of working time. And even if they go to work, their productivity goes down by 15.1%.

In comparison, people with more balanced stress levels miss an average of 3.3% of work and are 10.2% less productive.

The report calculated that sick time, reduced productivity, increased turnover and early retirement cost the Swiss economy CHF5.6 billion ($5.9 billion) per year, with a margin of error of CHF1.6 billion.

It suggested investing more in health management to ensure less stress and fewer expenses.