Overwork leads to financial stress for Brits

24/06/2009

The credit crunch and resulting economic downturn is putting extra stress on UK workers by creating a long-hours culture, according to a new report from Aviva.

In the firm's latest Health of the Workplace study, almost six in ten workers said that the recession was creating extra stress and pressure at work.

Worryingly, almost half of the respondents said that their place of work had no procedures in place to deal with stress problems.

"Some of the reasons that employees are feeling extra pressure are linked to job insecurity, a strong commitment to their role or the need for employees to 'take home' pay to support their families," said Alex Marshall, business development manager at Aviva's UK occupational health department.

"Around 37 per cent of employees are failing to take lunch breaks so as a first step, employers should be encouraging a good work/life balance and promote a culture that encourages staff to take their statutory break."

EuroDebt director Kevin Still agreed that "the recession has created major concerns about job security and many small businesses are really suffering".

"This often has a twofold effect that employees are expected to work longer hours with no additional pay or are being asked to take pay cuts," he continued.

"Family life can also be affected and loss of income can cause financial stress, sometimes resulting in disposable income reaching a point where payments get missed.

"Loss of income is currently the primary reason why consumers join a EuroDebt Debt Management Plan. Taking professional advice is important before your finances get out of control."

According to figures released by the TUC earlier this month, four million Britons now work more than 48-hour weeks and a significant amount put in shifts of more than 60 hours each week.

However, the CBI has claimed that employers and staff have been working in conjunction to create a more flexible workplace since the onset of the recession.

Tags; Current UK Economy,

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