Over 40% of Swiss ‘very stressed’ at work

Working late - the study found people were more stressed at work Keystone

Workers in Switzerland are not able to work as flexibly as two years ago – and this is having an impact on their work-life balance and driving up stress levels, a study has found.

These are the main conclusions of the third Good Work BarometerExternal link, commissioned by the Swiss Employers’ Association Travail SuisseExternal link, which looks at employees’ motivation, job security and workplace health.

“Forty-one per cent of those polled felt they were often stressed or very stressed at work. This is clearly far too many,” said Gabriel Fischer, head of economic policy at Travail Suisse, in a statement on Thursday.

Adrian Wüthrich, head of Travail Suisse, added that the abolishing of stamping in – recording time worked – had led to people working longer for free. “Travail Suisse fights against any attack on the work law and on the registration of work hours and workplace health protection,” he said.

Almost 48% of those questioned said they had no or little influence on their work hours. This was up from 38% in 2015.

“Stress and emotional exhaustion are things that many workers have to deal with every day,” Fischer said.

Digitalisation

The study for the first time asked a question about the impact of digitalisation – and one in ten replied that there was a high or very high possibility of their work being replaced by digital technology in the next ten years. Among the most worried were those working in retail, finance and insurance sectors, as well as those with a lower level of education.

The study also showed the need to promote continuing education, Travail Suisse said, and called on employers and the government to do more in this field.

In terms of the regions, Italian-speaking Ticino had the least satisfied workers, which has to do with the influence from abroad, said Tobias Fritschi from the Bern University of Applied SciencesExternal link, which carried out the research. The French-speaking part of the country also showed low values in terms of job security. Central and eastern Switzerland showed the highest job satisfaction.