45% of media industry managers are going through a period of stress, yet only 10% would talk to their boss about it
45 per cent of mid-level managers in the media/advertising/PR sectors are currently going through a period of stress, according to a Bupa study. Yet despite 21 per cent being worried about the effect stress is having on their health, only 10 per cent have spoken to their boss about it.
The study found that 37 per cent won't talk to anyone about their stress because they feel they should be able to manage it themselves and 56 per cent would only seek help for stress if they felt unable to cope with daily life.
The majority, 60 per cent, are likely to keep quiet and get through the day even if they were stressed
The overall study combines the views of 6,000 employees across a range of industries, job levels and UK regions to create an in-depth picture of stress in the workplace.
Across the board, the research shows that managers are too stressed and have too little time to help team members deal who themselves might not be coping.
“Mental illness has been recognised in most other parts of society but remains heavily stigmatised in business. Few people are prepared to discuss their worries openly.
“This research shows that there is still not enough support within businesses at any level of the organisation. Work is not going to get less stressful. So we need to get better at recognising the early signs of stress and mental health issues in ourselves and our colleagues and promoting a culture which encourages people to speak up and ask for help.”
According to Bupa, the top five stressors at work are: workload (22 per cent), trying to meet targets (11 per cent), office politics (10 per cent), restructuring or lack of job security (9 per cent) and client/customers (7 per cent)
Stress levels in the media/advertising/PR sectors also seem to be higher than the average across the UK as a whole. While the overall study across a range of industries found that 21 per cent of middle managers have felt stressed for more than a year, in the media sector specifically this figure rose to 28 per cent.
However, the number of professionals in that sector suffering from depression due to stress is slightly lower, sitting at 35 per cent compared to 40 per cent for the industry-wide study.
Dr Sandra Delroy, clinical director of mental health at Bupa, urged organisations to make it easier for employees to come forward and seek help.
“Stress needs to be a topic on the agenda,” she said. “While managers might be feeling the pressure too, they can make a huge difference by encouraging open and honest dialogue with their team. Let your employees know that feeling stressed is not a sign of weakness.”
Primary research for Bupa’s report was carried out by YouGov in October 2013.