American Psychological Association – survey
According to the latest 2013 American Psychological Association (APA) survey over one-third of American workers experience chronic work stress.
A recent APA’s Stress in America survey also indicated that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults believe work is a significant source of stress and 35% of them typically feel stressed during the workday.
According to Norman B. Anderson, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association. “The well-being of an organization’s workforce is a strategic business imperative that is linked to its performance and success.”
The top five work stress factors as per the 2013 APA’s survey included:
– Low salaries.
– Lack of opportunity for growth or advancement.
– A heavy workload.
– Long hours.
– Uncertain or undefined job expectations.
Importantly, the survey also reports that “only 59 percent reported having adequate employer-provided health insurance; just 42 percent of employees said their organizations promote and support a healthy lifestyle; only 36 percent reported regularly participating in workplace health and wellness programs”.
In addition, only half of American workers believe their employers value work-life balance. Also only one-third report that their employers provide options for flexible work or providing benefits that help them more easily meet their non-work demands.
Despite growing awareness of the importance of a healthy workplace, few employees said their organizations provide sufficient resources to help them manage stress.
Of note, as per this survey: “women still face disparities at work”.
Despite many advances for women in the workplace, the office still doesn’t feel like a level playing field for many women who reported feeling less valued than men (48 percent of women versus 54 percent of men). Less than half of employed women (43 percent) said they receive adequate monetary compensation for their work, compared to 48 percent of employed men.
Further, fewer employed women than men reported that their employer provides sufficient opportunities for internal career advancement (35 percent versus 43 percent) or resources to help them manage stress (34 percent versus 38 percent). Though employed women were more likely than men to report having good mental health (86 percent versus 76 percent), more women said they typically feeling tense or stressed out at work (37 percent versus 33 percent).
Only 37 percent of women reported regularly using employee benefits designed to help them meet demands outside the office, compared to almost half of men (46 percent), and just 38 percent of women said they regularly utilize flexible work arrangements, compared to 42 percent of men. Overall, one-third of working Americans (33 percent) said that work interfering during personal or family time has a significant impact on their level of work stress, and 1 in 4 reported that job demands interfere with their ability to fulfill family or home responsibilities.
About the Survey
APA’s Work and Well-Being Survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Psychological Association between Jan. 9-Jan. 21, 2013 among 1,501 adults aged 18 and older who reside in the U.S. and who are either employed full time, part time or self-employed.
The American Psychological Association (APA), Washington, D.C., is the largest US and world’s association of psychologists. The Stress in the Workplace survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the APA, in January 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Source: apa.org
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