Product category:
Protection
News Release from: BUPA | Subject: Protection
Edited by the Insidemoneytalk Editorial
Team on 21 November 2007
Non-stop worrying impacts workplace
performance
Non-stop worrying is damaging the health of millions of Britons by triggering a range of unhealthy behaviours, from sleepless nights to loss of sex drive and erratic eating habits,
according to a new report published today by BUPA Unable to switch off, many worriers are taking their anxieties to work, impacting their workplace performance and fuelling sickness absence.Findings from BUPA's 2007 Worry Report, the second annual survey conducted by BUPA to understand what Britons worry about and how worrying impacts health, show that one in five people worry constantly or about a lot of things, while over half feel they worry more now than five years ago.Health concerns are increasingly dominating the UK's worry list, with 50 percent of those surveyed this year - up six percent on 2006 - saying they worry more for their health and their family's health than about issues such as climate change or terrorist attacks.The biggest worry of all is the impact anxiety is having on the health of Britons today
This article was originally published on Insidemoneytalk on 28 Mar 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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According to BUPA's new report, more than a third (39 percent) of worriers experience sleepless nights, nearly half (43 percent) have their eating habits affected, while one in eight drink more alcohol to help them relax and one in thirteen lose their sex drive.
Yet, in spite of the impact on their health, many people are doing nothing to address their worries, with 24 percent of worriers taking no action at all.Taking worries to work.Dr Peter Mace, assistant medical director at BUPA Wellness, said: "This report highlights that people who are overwhelmed by their worries can find it impossible to relax, often experiencing frequent sleepless nights, loss of appetite and a desire to drink more alcohol to help them switch off.
This may have a profound impact on their health, exacerbating the problem further."Many worriers can't just leave their concerns at home, so the impact of worrying on workplace performance cannot be underestimated.
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In fact, stress is the number one cause of absence for non-manual workers, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's 2007 absence management survey."BUPA's Dr Mace recommends that employers look out for the visible symptoms of stress in the workplace, such as short temperedness, an inability to plan and control work, poor relationships with colleagues or clients and loss of motivation.
As well as being aware of the signs of worry, employers can help to reduce the stress of employees by offering health and wellbeing work-based programmes, including counselling services such as employee assistance programmes [EAPs]."The benefits of work-based counselling services can be significant", commented Dr Mace.
"For example, 63 percent of employees utilising BUPA's EAP have reported that the support provided by the service meant they didn't end up taking any sick leave.
Without the service, they said they probably would have had to take time off."For those employees whose major worries relate to their health, BUPA's occupational health services can provide them with the opportunity to talk about their health concerns face to face with a medical professional.
The company has also recently launch "Positive Health", which enables employees to benefit from a confidential, online appraisal of their health and wellbeing, focusing on the four areas of health and wellbeing that are proven to impact on performance at work - namely nutrition, fitness, sleep and stress.
Dr Mace explained: "Benefits to the employer of Positive Health include regular reports to help the organisation track trends in the health of its staff and develop meaningful prevention programmes, ultimately improving its performance.
BUPA has also started providing its corporate customers with packs of health information which can be used in the workplace to help them promote the benefits of both physical and psychological wellbeing." For further information about BUPA's Positive Health initiative, go to www.bupa.co.uk/positivehealth.
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