The research is based on 237 detailed online interviews with women from a range of backgrounds across the UK and with National Stress Awareness Day taking place next week (4th November) these recent findings just underline even further how stress at work is affecting women in achieving a work / life balance.
The study was designed to determine to what extent women of working age in the UK agree or disagree with a range of attitude statements and determine their levels of contentment towards life, work, relationships and future prospects. Throughout the study women frequently experienced negative and stress related feelings, with 39% highlighting this fact further, by saying they are constantly feeling anxious.
Janice Haddon, Managing Director of Morgan Redwood, who commissioned the report says: “With the economic climate as it is many companies are looking to save money, one way of doing this is obviously to add to the workload of their staff. However by doing this, it is having a major knock-on effect. Pressure from work is increasing, meaning stress levels are getting higher. And when this is happening, particularly with women, as this survey shows, a work / life balance is not being achieved.”
The research also identified another interesting fact. For those women who have had children, they had experienced a loss of confidence when returning back to the workplace. Two fifths of women with children who were surveyed said they had lost confidence as a result of having a family.
Janice comments: “Having children is life changing. With the pressures of returning back to work, and the worry of performing well after time off , it’s not surprising that women lose confidence after having a family. This can add to stress levels, making it harder to achieve that work / life balance, as more time is needed in the office to prove their worth and build their confidence up.”
Janice continues: “We’ve just launched a new series of workshops to help women and men achieve a work / life balance and help them deal with stress. Our one-day workshops, self-titled ‘Creating My Future,’ will help individuals find the confidence and sense of purpose to get their lives back on track, stress free.”
The Morgan Redwood ‘Creating My Future’ workshops will be held in small groups to ensure there is lots of individual focus. For people wishing to attend any of the first set of workshops they are urged to book online via http://www.morganredwood.com
40% of women won’t achieve a work/life balance due to stress at work
