Interesting Facts

According to figures released under the Freedom of Information act, police officers in the UK took 250,000 days of sick leave due to stress-related illness in 2013. (12 forces also saw rises in stress-related sick days of more than 50%. The reason given is cuts in police numbers, and Police Federation chairman Steve Williams said: “It is inevitable that the pressure to do more and more with fewer resources will impact on some officers’ health and well-being." I would think it's enough that it's a very stressful job.)

According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, bad managers are the biggest cause of stress at work. (This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has a bad manager, the stress of not punching their lights out is very high. What may surprise company owners and members of the board, who are ultimately responsible for bad management, is that these bad managers can cost the UK economy around £28bn because of work related mental illness. The report recommends giving people positive feedback, flexible working hours, and extra time off as a reward. In other words, treat your employees like human beings, not automatons.)

Economics and psychology researchers at the University of Warwick in central England have found that promotion produces 10 percent more mental strain and leaves up to 20 percent less time to visit the doctor in the event of illness. (They were testing the assumption that an improvement in job status leads to better health due to an increased sense of self-worth, but they found no evidence of improved physical health after promotion, in fact they found that mental health actually deteriorates. So the next time you're offered promotion, think twice and make sure the money's good, that way you can afford to go private.)

According to a study in the European Heart Journal, a stressful job has a direct biological impact on the body, raising the risk of heart disease. (Those who felt stressed not only had less time to exercise and eat well, they also showed signs of important biochemical changes. So, time to start practising those relaxation techniques.)