Workplace stress occurs when we cannot cope with the pressures or demands we are facing at work. It is often debated that, in the UK, we are more stressed now than in any other period in time, with modern day technology making us constantly reachable, disrupting our work/life balance and leading to the “always on” culture in which our minds are never able to fully rest from work. However, it is common for each generation to believe that they are living in the most complicated and difficult time.
We are fortunate to live in the safest and most advanced time in history. There are strong health and safety regulations in place that require employers to support the health and wellbeing of their employees. For example, employers in the UK have a responsibility to protect their employees from workplace stress. Despite this, over half (52%) of workers in Britain feel stressed at work.
When we experience stress, it can place us at a higher risk of developing mental and physical health problems, with around 17 million workdays lost in 2021/22 in Great Britain due to stress, anxiety or depression.
In the UK, we work, on average, 36.4 hours a week, with 14% of employed people working 49 or more hours a week. This is higher than many other European countries including Finland, Norway, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. Despite working longer hours, it appears that many people are not finding enjoyment in their work. A survey looking at global attitudes to work and employment has found that over a third (35%) of workers in the UK consider their work to be either somewhat or very boring. Considering this, it is no surprise that, in the 2023 edition of the World Happiness Report, the UK ranks 19th in the world. This puts us behind many other European countries such as Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, who all rank within the top 10.
Our knowledge and awareness of what stress is and how it impacts us has grown and changed over time as the body of research around stress has grown. The concept of stress is relatively new, which has limited our understanding of trends in workplace stress over time. Although, when we reflect on how work has changed over time, we can begin to form a picture of how workplace stress has changed and developed with societal and workplace changes.
Victorian Era 1837-1901
Starting by looking at the Victorian era, we know that working conditions in this time were extremely poor compared to today’s standards, with few health and safety rules to protect the health and wellbeing of workers. Many working-class people worked in mines and factories, where employees worked long hours for little pay, and were exposed to pollution and dangerous machinery. During this time, work-related injuries and illness were frequent.
Research around stress was really just beginning during this time, making it difficult to know just how stressed employees were. It was acknowledged by researchers that changes in culture and technology, being overworked and having financial problems were sources of stress for people, the occurrence of which were linked to the development of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and influenza as well as mental illness.
Early to Mid-Twentieth Century
With two World Wars and the Great Depression, the early to mid-twentieth century was a time of great difficulty and change for workers in the UK. There was a clear shift in the roles that people were employed in. Between 1920 and 1959, the number of people working in primary sectors (for example, agriculture, mining and fishing), public administration and defence, and retail and wholesale distribution decreased, while the number of people working in manufacturing, construction and professional scientific and technical services increased.
It was during this time period that the concept of stress became more widely discussed. After the turbulent times of the Second World War, domestic life had to be rebuilt. During this time, stress was attributed to financial difficulties, loss of employment, and work pressures, as well as family issues. Work was seen as a part of your identity, making it difficult for people to cope when they were unemployed or struggling at work.9
Mid to Late Twentieth Century
During the mid to late-twentieth century, great technological advancements led to the popularisation of computers in the workplace. New technology led to increased automation in the manufacturing industry. Additionally, improved communication technologies led to many businesses being able to outsource to lower-cost countries to improve their efficiency. Because of this, employees needed to possess different knowledge and skills to remain desirable.
During this time period, the Health and Safety Act 1974 gave employers the responsibility to care for the mental health of their employees, along with their physical health. Additionally, much academic literature was published around the link between work and stress. The term “burnout” was coined by an American psychologist, Herbert Freudenberger, in the 1970s to refer to feelings of exhaustion and helplessness that can result from long-term or severe stress at work. By the 1980s, workplace stress was becoming a familiar concept, with TV shows and newspapers increasing the public’s awareness.
Twenty-first century
While we now have strong health and safety regulations to protect workers, workplace stress has not gone away. Nowadays, computers and smartphones allow us to know what is happening at work at any given time. This can make it difficult for us to switch off at the end of the workday. In fact, half of us think about work a lot or a fair amount outside of work hours.
In 2023, 76% of UK employees reported having moderate-to-high levels of stress, up from 67% in 2022, suggesting that workplace stress is on the rise. This may have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as it has undeniably changed the workplace in the last few years. During lockdown, many of us moved from working in an office to working from home. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home and hybrid working (a mixture of working from home and in the office) remain very popular ways of working. Many people experience benefits to this including a reduction in (or eradication of) time spent commuting, more flexibility and increased productivity. However, there are risks to this way of working. Many employees may experience feelings of isolation when working from home. Additionally, some people may end up working longer hours or checking emails outside of working hours, meaning that they do not properly rest and recover in between workdays.
Rounding it all up
In summary, it is difficult to conclude that workplace stress is more prevalent now than ever before as knowledge and understanding of stress was not as developed in previous time periods as it is today. However, it is clear that modern times bring new challenges to the workplace, with employees being constantly reachable making it difficult for them to maintain their work/life balance.