In addition to personal financial stress caused by the recession, many American workers are also bearing the burden of their employer’s financial problems.
According to a study by The Hartford Group Benefits, 37% of consumers said they feel they have experienced ‘severe’ financial impact due to the recession. To add to the pressure, consumers are also expected to work harder and longer. The Harford Group study found that:
- 24% have additional work or an increased workload;
- 17% feel as though they need to put in more hours at work; and
- the majority (72%) feel moderately stressed with one-third feeling very or extremely stressed at work.
And speaking of working more, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 7.6 million Americans have more than one job. Of these, 4 million work full time at their primary job and part time at their other job.
Unfortunately, working longer and harder isn’t necessarily beneficial to employees or their employers. When asked how stress is impacting their work environment, employees’ top answers were:
- having less patience with coworkers (38%); and
- taking longer to complete work (19%).
If you are facing financial and work-related pressure, check out these stress-handling tips offered by Renee McGruder. You might also enjoy reading:
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