From education to employment

Two fifths of teachers comfort eat to deal with stress

More than two fifths (44 per cent) of teachers comfort eat to deal with stress at work, according to a survey by office supplies company Viking.

The research found that 43 per cent of teachers claim to suffer health problems because of stress, with 27 per cent admitting feeling stressed every day while in the office.

Some 41 per cent of respondents said their stress levels were raised by incompetent colleagues making tasks more difficult.

The findings were part of a survey of 2,000 office workers in the UK, which also took body temperatures of 200 volunteers over a five day period. Those tests revealed Wednesday to be the least stressful day, with first thing on Monday morning causing the most stress.

Vikingā€™s stress expert, Neil Shah, who conducted the secret tests with the volunteer office workers, said: ā€œThis research shows that many people in the UK today are working under some dangerous levels of stress ā€“ they may not even be aware of how stressed they are. Tension and stress can manifest themselves in many different ways, but can be linked to long term health problems such as migraines, heart problems and depression.

From a business point of view a stress free worker is a more productive, proactive and valuable one. Ensuring really simple things like people taking a lunch break or doing exercises in the office can make a huge difference.ā€

Natalie Thornhill


Related Articles

Responses