Stress O’Clock

Our stress levels peak mid-morning on Tuesdays. That’s according to a survey of British office workers aged 18 to 45 commissioned by recruitment agency Michael Page.

The survey of 3,000 asked office workers about their stress levels during a typical week. A quarter of respondents regularly feel stressed at work. One in five find it all too much before nine in the morning.

According to the poll, a majority of workers take it relatively easy on Monday, catching up with colleagues and warming up for the week. But Tuesday seems to be the day on which workers’ workloads dawn on them as they sift through their email backlog and plan the week ahead.

Heavy workloads, difficult clients, and bosses were identified as particular causes of tension.

Said a spokesman for Michael Page, “It seems our jobs are the biggest cause of stress in our lives – even little things like the computer freezing – is enough to get us worked up.

“Whether we feel over-worked, are neck deep in Paper or just battling a to-do list which seems never-ending, we are all in in agreement when we hit our melting point.

“It’s worrying such a large number of us are under so much pressure from bosses and there not being enough hours in the day that we go home and have an alcoholic drink to recover.

“But it is encouraging to see we are taking steps to improve our working lives, with people making it a New Year’s resolution to get out of their current job.”