A report released by Sunsuper, one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds, has found that more than two thirds (68%) of Australian workers don’t feel in control at work and more than half (54%) feel stressed at least weekly.
The 2018 Australian Employee Insights Report also found that the biggest causes of workplace stress were excessive workload pressure (34%), followed by personal issues with colleagues (16%), lack of work-life balance (15%), lack of job security (8%) and too much change at work (8%).
Sunsuper’s CEO Scott Hartley said these results are alarming given that stress at work can impact employees’ engagement and productivity.
“Research shows us that stressed employees tend to have higher rates of absenteeism, are less engaged at work and aren’t as efficient, so the resilience of employees is important not only from a general wellbeing perspective, but also in terms of a company’s productivity and bottom line,” said Mr Hartley.
The good news is that workers say there are positive steps their employer can take to ease workplace stress. When asked about the ways their employer could ease their stress at work, almost half (47%) of employees said a positive workplace, including confident managers and good teamwork, would help prevent workplace stress and help support those who are stressed.
Other ways companies can help ease stress at work include: setting clear goals and reasonable workloads (41%), flexible working arrangements (34%), stress and compassionate leave (24%), financial wellbeing benefits (23%), training to deal with new technology (23%), mental health services (22%) and physical wellbeing benefits (18%).
Mr Hartley said the 2018 Sunsuper Australian Employee Insights Report also included findings about company culture, the employee experience, workplace diversity, emerging technologies and how employees expect their employer to support their financial wellbeing.
The 2018 Australian Employee Insights Report is based on research conducted by YouGov Galaxy on behalf of Sunsuper, of 1,000 Australian workers (who are not self-employed) aged over 18 years.
For a full copy of the report, please visit sunsuper.com.au/employeeinsightsreport
