The overwhelming majority of Brits (90%) feel stressed in their jobs, while more than half (52%) describe themselves as stressed at work ‘most of the time’. That’s according to the latest workforce study released by experience management company Qualtrics.

The research, carried out with more than 1,000 workers in the UK, also found that just one in five (20%) would describe their company as unsupportive of a healthy work-life balance.

Across all industries, employees working in the financial sector reported the highest levels of stress with a third saying they feel overwhelmed by work most or all of the time.

Commenting on the findings, Ian McVey, Enterprise Lead for Northern Europe at Qualtrics, said, “This research presents a worrying trend in work culture, with high levels of employee stress increasingly becoming the ‘new normal’. We know from our research that employees who feel they have a healthy balance between their work and personal lives ted to be less stressed, more engaged and more likely to remain in their jobs.

“Given that it costs up to 10 times as much to train new staff as it does to retain existing workers, employers should think carefully about how they can help their staff manage work-life balance. If managers are going to get the most out of their staff, they need to work to alleviate stress by championing a better work-life balance, and providing support on how to manage a demanding workload.”

To find out more about the Qualtrics Employee Pulse, visit https://www.qualtrics.com/uk/employee-experience/employee-engagement-research/