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News Release from: BUPA | Subject: Wellness
Edited by the Insidemoneytalk Editorial
Team on 24 March 2008
"We're stressed out!" say personal
finance journalists
The days of long lunches and corporate hospitality may be long gone according to the results of a new snapshot survey of personal finance journalists' health and wellbeing,
which found more than a quarter (26 percent) of respondents have experienced high levels of stress The research was conducted via BUPA Positive Health, an online confidential health and wellbeing assessment designed to help employers track trends and monitor changes in the health of their employees
This article was originally published on Insidemoneytalk on 5 Nov 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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Offered via industry portal headlinemoney.co.uk, the tool gave journalists access to a series of online health assessments focusing on the four areas of health and wellbeing known to have the greatest impact on performance at work - namely, nutrition, fitness, sleep and stress.
It seems that our personal finance colleagues are working rather than partying the night away these days.
The survey found over one in three journalists are at risk of sleep deprivation, which is inherently linked to stress levels - with those who are 'always stressed' having significantly lower sleep scores compared to those who reportedly are 'not stressed at all'.
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What's more, age and stress levels seem to be intrinsically linked.
Journalists under 25 have the best overall health and wellbeing score of 69.
In contrast, those between the ages of 35 and 50 have the lowest score (53) and are therefore at the highest risk.
And female journalists are apparently better equipped to remain calm under pressure with better self reported health than their male counterparts.
Martyn Anthony, head of specialist services, BUPA Wellness said: "While the journalists surveyed score well with an overall health and wellbeing score of 59 (out of 100), the sector could be incurring costs from productivity loss and sickness absence as a result of the problem areas identified." One in five respondents suffer with migraines/headaches which, interestingly, are among the most common reasons for short-term sickness absence (Absence Management, CIPD, July 2007).
Commenting on these findings, Martyn added: "Many people are guilty of putting their health at risk as a result of drinking too much or sleeping too little.
The good news is, by making simple lifestyle changes such as giving more thought to nutrition or being more active, people can reduce their risk of poor health and will find improved focus at work will follow." By way of comparison, employees in the IT sector have excellent overall health and wellbeing scores with an average score of 72.
Those working in health/medical services are at high risk with a score of 30.
For further information on BUPA's wellness services, visit www.bupa.co.uk/wellness.
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