Stress at work can affect your health and performance

A new study has revealed 75 per cen of employees suffer from high blood pressure

In the experiment by the Corporate Wellbeing Consultancy, The Tonic, exercise routines, eating habits and sleeping patterns of staff from a variety of business organisations were examined. Three quarters had high blood pressure, with over half categorized as experiencing moderate to severe hypertension.

Tonic Director Jeff Archer says, ‘We chose to measure blood pressure as it provides a good indicator of how people really cope with stress. Many workers up and down the country may claim they find work stressful but what really matters is how good they are at dealing with stressful situations, without tension building up internally and compromising their health. We discovered many men may not be managing their professional or personal lives as well as they think they are. The lower readings for women suggest they could be more adept at coping with stress than men.’

After positive behaviour changes, many employees managed to lower their blood pressure within just a few weeks. National Stress Awareness Day 2009 takes place on November 4th, which is a good time for companies to assess the stress levels of their employees.