[December 17, 2014] |
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Seventy Percent of Employees Are Significantly More Stressed During the Holidays, Virgin Pulse Survey Finds
Whether it's financial woes, family feuds, or simply balancing seasonal
pressures with the rest of life, one thing's clear: the holidays are
stressful for almost everyone and they impact work. New data released
today by Virgin
Pulse, the market leader in the rapidly-growing employee health
engagement category, finds that 70 percent of employees are
significantly more stressed during the holidays. More than 10 percent of
those respondents said they're between a whopping 60 and 100 percent
more stressed. The survey, 'TIS
THE SEASON FOR STRESS, features responses from 1,000 participants in
the U.S. and Canada who are not current Virgin Pulse (News - Alert) members.
"It's no secret that for many, life is getting more complex and
stressful each and every year. It's become increasingly vital that
employers help their teams better manage their stress and priorities -
especially during the holidays - for each person to be their best and
brightest selves, at work and in life," said Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin
Pulse. "This time of year, it's important we help employees stay on top
of their work priorities and holiday check-lists. Supporting their
health and happiness using tools, resources and programs that drive all
aspects of their well-being will help them better keep their stress and
health under control."
The Seasonal Balancing Act For most, the holiday stress
starts early and hits hard, impacting employees well beyond their
personal lives, ultimately affecting their work performance.
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64 percent of respondents say holiday-related stress causes them to be
distracted at wrk
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Holiday-related stress drives 30 percent more anxiety than usual
and diminishes employees' quality of work by about the same amount.
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Two-thirds of respondents admit to using up to 60 percent of their
workday to complete holiday prep work - like shopping, running errands
and having conversations with family or friends.
What's Behind Employees' Stress? With endless obligations
around the holidays, the root of employees' holiday season stress isn't
exactly unique.
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65 percent of respondents say shopping for gifts and necessities for
events is to blame for their stress
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60 percent say maintaining finances is the reason behind their stress
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44 percent say crowds at the stores stress them out
It's Not Easy to Maintain Well-Being It looks like the
stress - not to mention all that turkey and eggnog - is weighing on
employee's well-being.
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Eating healthy is the hardest aspect of well-being to maintain during
the holidays, according to 62 percent of respondents. Fifty-one
percent reported exercise and 46 percent said sleep were the hardest
areas of well-being to maintain.
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71 percent said they eat unhealthily between two and five days a
week
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51 percent skip exercising between two and five days a week
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59 percent sleep poorly between two and five days a week
Is Lack of Experience to Blame? The reason for younger
employees' burgeoning stress levels may simply come down to their
experience, or lack thereof, planning and prepping for the holidays.
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Young professionals (18-29) said they expect to be 45 percent more
stressed this year than last, compared to just 30 percent of
respondents between 45 and 60 years old.
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Young professionals are also more than twice as likely than their
seasoned counterparts to use up to 40 percent of their workday to
focus on holiday-related tasks.
3 Tips to Keep Employees Happy and Healthy Whatever the
reason for employees' holiday stress, employers are poised to support
their people in better managing their seasonal priorities by offering
programs that impact all areas of their well-being.
Employers can support employees during the holidays by encouraging them
to focus on one priority to make daily progress, educating them on the
benefits of healthy habits and introducing company-wide competitions to
get everyone on board, and reminding them to unplug, relax, and recharge.
For the full report and three actionable tips to support your workforce
this holiday season, download the full survey report http://connect.virginpulse.com/files/Survey_HolidayStress.pdf.
About Virgin Pulse Virgin Pulse, part of Sir Richard
Branson's famed Virgin Group, helps employers create a workforce with
the energy, focus, and drive necessary to fully engage at work and in
life. With its award-winning, online platform, the company fosters
healthy daily habits and sustainable behavior change that help employees
thrive at work and across all aspects of life. Unlike narrowly-focused
employee health and engagement solutions, Virgin Pulse is a hub of
consumer-focused strategies and innovative tools that set the foundation
for a company's engagement efforts. More than 250 industry leaders
representing more than 2 million employees have selected Virgin Pulse's
programs to reinvigorate their workplace. Learn more at www.virginpulse.com.
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