More than One-third of Employees Say “People Issues” Cause the Most Stress at Work

Twenty percent of employees are missing six or more days per year due to stress

CHICAGO--()--Some 36 percent of employees say people issues cause them the most heartburn at work, according to the 2019 StressPulseSM survey, released today by ComPsych®. In addition, 20 percent of employees say stress is causing them to miss six or more days per year. ComPsych Corporation is the world’s largest provider of employee assistance programs and is the pioneer and worldwide leader of fully integrated EAP, behavioral health, wellness, work-life, HR, FMLA and absence management services under its GuidanceResources brand.

“Given that it’s an employee market today, many organizations are experiencing increased turnover,” said Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, Founder, Chairman and CEO of ComPsych. “This can cause employees to be more stressed given their changing roles, shifting teams and the need to do more with fewer resources.”

Key Findings:

  • 36 percent of employees say “people issues” are their greatest cause of stress at work, up 5 points from the previous year.
  • 20 percent of employees are missing more than six days per year due to stress, up 3 points from the previous year.
  • Overall stress levels remain high, with 61 percent of employees saying stress is causing feelings of fatigue and being out of control.

StressPulse Results

Stress Levels
61% Have high levels of stress, with extreme fatigue/feeling out of control
34% Have constant but manageable stress levels
5% Have low stress levels

Work Priorities
57% See accomplishing basic responsibilities as most important
27% See being present as most important
16% See performance improvement as most important

Causes of Stress at Work
39% Cite workload
36% Cite people issues
14% Cite juggling work and personal life
7% Cite lack of job security
4% None of the above (I'm not stressed)

Causes of Stress at Home
25% Financial issues
22% Family, friends or relationship issues
21% Juggling work with personal life
14% Personal to-do list
8% Health issues
10% None of the above (I'm not stressed)

Impact of Stress Upon Daily Productivity
41% Lose 15-30 min. per day in productivity due to stress
37% Lose 1 hour or more per day in productivity due to stress
22% Report productivity is unaffected by stress

Impact of Stress Upon Attendance
53% Miss 1 to 2 days per year due to stress
27% Miss 3 to 6 days per year due to stress
20% Miss more than 6 days per year due to stress

Impact of Stress Upon Effectiveness
47% Come to work 1 to 4 days per year when too stressed to be effective
28% Come to work 5 or more days per year when too stressed to be effective
25% Say stress does not impact effectiveness

Impact of Personal Tasks Upon Daily Productivity
64% Lose less than 30 min. per day due to personal tasks
18% Lose 30 min. per day due to personal tasks
18% Lose more than 1 hour per day due to personal tasks

Most Common Reasons for Absences
39% Cite medical reasons/illness (self)
37% Cite stress and personal relationship issues
24% Cite caregiving responsibilities

Coping Strategies for Stress
55% Take frequent "stress breaks" at work to talk with others
35% Work harder
10% Take a day off

About ComPsych

ComPsych® Corporation is the world’s largest provider of employee assistance programs (EAP) and is the pioneer and worldwide leader of fully integrated EAP, behavioral health, wellness, work-life, HR, FMLA and absence management services under its GuidanceResources® brand. ComPsych provides services to more than 50,000 organizations covering more than 109 million individuals throughout the U.S. and 160 countries. By creating “Build-to-Suit” programs, ComPsych helps employers attract and retain employees, increase employee productivity and improve overall health and well-being. For more information, visit www.compsych.com.

Contacts

Jennifer Hudson
ComPsych® Corporation
(312) 595-4048
jhudson@compsych.com

Contacts

Jennifer Hudson
ComPsych® Corporation
(312) 595-4048
jhudson@compsych.com