CEOs getting an easy ride as work stress falls on junior staff

-

Middle management and junior staff starting their careers are under intense pressure in the workplace

 

  •     One in five British workers report the most junior staff feel extreme pressure at work
  •    91% of all UK workers believe the majority of workplace stress is falling on middle management
  •      Almost half (43%) now report feeling under pressure at work
  •     Nearly half (48%) have had their workload increase following redundancies at their company
  •     Lane4’s Managing Director and Olympic gold medallist Adrian Moorhouse calls for business leaders to act now to ensure junior staff are equipped to cope with the pressure

91% of all UK workers believe the vast majority of workplace stress is falling on middle management, which is also filtering down to junior staff, reveals a new study from business performance consultants Lane4.

Almost half of workers (43%) now report feeling under pressure at work according to a study of 1,500 British employees. Middle management suffer the greatest stress levels, with two in five (39%) under severe stress.

HRreview Logo

Get our essential weekday HR news and updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Keep up with the latest in HR...
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

 

But worryingly, one in five (20%) reported that junior staff just starting their careers also felt extreme pressure.

Because of the current economic climate, over a third (34%) are desperately worried about their job security. As a result, nearly one in five (17%) workers feel they have also been given additional work, increasing their workload dramatically.

The study reveals that 48% of workers have had their workload increased following redundancies at their company.

Additionally, nearly a quarter (24%) of workers are taking on extra projects to assist colleagues who are struggling to cope with their workload.

Looking at individual departments, sales staff complained of higher stress levels, more than four times greater (19%) than those working in IT (6%).

Nationally, both a third of male and female employees had severe fears about their current job. But the survey of reveals that the most insecure region is the North West, with one in seven (16%) fearing they could lose their jobs, compared to only 3% of workers in East Anglia.

Commenting on the news, Lane4’s Managing Director and Olympic gold medallist, Adrian Moorhouse, comments, “It’s a leader’s job to ensure that all staff are able to cope in these tough times. If it’s junior staff that are feeling a large amount of pressure as revealed in the study, they must provide the tools and techniques to help develop resilience and success strategies. This will help them to thrive on the pressure, rather than crumble beneath it.”

Pamela Flores is an events professional with experience at Symposium Events, a UK-based conference and events organization. She has worked in editorial and event coordination roles within the HR and expatriate management sector, contributing to the organization of major conferences including the Expatriate Management and Global Mobility conference. Her background spans online editorial work and events management within the professional conference industry.

Latest news

NHS badge review raises wider questions about political expression at work

A government-backed NHS review has reignited debate over political symbols at work and how employers can balance protected beliefs with workplace conduct.

Andrew Fettes-Brown: Leading with curiosity – why the built environment needs a culture shift to allow for innovation

Curiosity creates the conditions for learning, growth and understanding. It encourages us to interrogate problems properly rather than rushing to solutions.

Mental health ‘stigma’ still stops staff speaking to managers

Most employees remain uncomfortable discussing mental health concerns with managers despite growing workplace wellbeing investment.

UK set for biggest rise in unemployment among G7 nations, OECD warns

Britain is forecast to record the largest rise in unemployment among G7 economies this year as economic growth slows and labour market conditions weaken.
- Advertisement -

UK employers ‘risk falling behind global rivals on AI hiring’

UK employers remain cautious about artificial intelligence in recruitment while overseas rivals move faster to adopt AI hiring tools.

Carly Jenner of Apeel Sciences

A global people leader shares how list-making, wellness routines and international teamwork shape her working day in HR.

Must read

David Ogilvy: “To go to court is a very expensive sport” – an age old problem

Miriam O’Reilly will certainly be celebrating her recent victory,...

Case study: Bioenergetics consultancy provides expert stress relief for employees

Ruane Bioenergetics focuses on a unique three-step process that identifies, resolves and equips people to cope with the effects of stress. The system can help to dramatically improve the efficiency and productivity of staff, tackling the high levels of absenteeism and low productivity prevalent in a worki
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you