Astonishing new research by software firm, Process Bliss, has found that 43% of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)Â employees have changed job due to workplace stress that was not adequately addressed by their employer. The new research adds to the evidence highlighted by other recent research that workplace stress is becoming a much bigger problem.
Workplace Stress In SME's
The new research by Process Bliss (in which 1000 SME employees were interviewed) found that:-
- 43% of employees have changed job at some point due to workplace stress having not been adequately addressed by their employer
- 33% of workers have called in sick due to work related stress
- 32% of employees felt untrusted by their employer
- Chasing colleagues for updates was cited as the main cause of workplace stress (33%), whilst 31% cited lack of clarity when asked to do something
- The main process requiring clarity from employers was employee/new starter induction (20%)
- 68% of workers believed that collaboration in their company could be improved, whilst 75% believed communication could be improved
Lessons To Be Learnt
The main lessons to be learnt from the survey in to workplace stress within SME's according to Process Bliss are: "Given that our research indicated 63% of SME employees are not clear about all their company’s processes, that’s a lot of potential stress. And that stress is manifesting itself in a number of ways, that are both damaging for the well-being and health of employees, but that also have an impact on the potential performance of the business. It is impossible to eliminate stress entirely, of course. But as the research has outlined, many of the sources of stress are ‘small’ in nature, and can be addressed fairly easily by establishing processes within the business and thus ensuring that people know what is required of them. Once they know this it is easier for bosses to trust them to do their work without resorting to micro-management or constant checks on progress. A trusted employee, that feels valued by their employer, will inevitably be a more loyal employee and leave SMEs less vulnerable to losing talent. Collaboration and communication play a significant role in this and are both easy to overlook for SMEs, as they look to grow and progress with a small team. But doing so will pay real dividends in terms of empowering employees and reducing day-to-day stresses. Good and functioning processes are at the core of most businesses and adhering to these processes will ultimately mean a less stressful work environment."
Deloitte Study
Another recent study by Deloitte into workplace stress in the USA found that 77% of employees had experienced burnout in their current roles. This included employees who actually enjoyed their jobs.
