UK employees would enjoy better mental health if they were unemployed

More than a quarter of UK employees would have better mental health if they were unemployed.

This is according to Tap Warehouse’s report ‘Stressed Out Britain’. Tap Warehouse is a supplier of bathrooms, kitchen taps and bathroom accessories, who found that 27 per cent of UK employees would be healthier mentally if they did not have a job.

The report also found that adults have a higher chance of suffering from chronic stress if they are in poor-quality work compared to those who are unemployed.

In 2018, anxiety, stress or depression accounted for 59 per cent of working days lost which is equivalent to 12.8 million days.

This equates to an average of 21.2 days lost per person due to stress, anxiety or depression.

Tap Warehouse has compiled a list of how to deal with the effects of stress as 25 per cent of the UK population suffer from mental health problems each year:

  • Communicating with your work colleagues to release dopamine in your brain
  • Step outside and get some fresh air on your lunch break
  • Keep on top of your desk, and declutter as you go
  • Chew gum before an important meeting to promote blood flow to your brain
  • Keep on top of your posture.

 

In light of International Stress Awareness Week (4th – 8th November) Sumo Sleep, a company that specialises in weighted blankets suggested that introducing workplace naps could ease stress and anxiety. They added that being stressed can also lead to damages to your personal health and to take time off work.

Giles Watkins, author of the book Positive Sleep said:

Naps are a powerful way to upgrade your night’s sleep and have proven benefits to your health and your thinking. Short naps have been shown to reduce your stress and enhance your immune system, as well as reducing both blood pressure and the incidence of heart attacks. Supporters of naps range from Winston Churchill to NASA! So, for a business that wants its employees to be more alert with improved focus on results, to be more accurate and solve problems better, I strongly recommend that naps can form part of the answer!

This research was collated from Manchester University and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

 

 

 

 

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Darius McQuaid

Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.