The average Brit spends almost 5 hours a week worrying about their job outside of working hours, new data has discovered.
Survey data of 2,000 participants has been released by standing desk retailer, EZ Shopper, to uncover how WFH and the pandemic has blurred the line between personal and work life.
The data concluded that the average Brit will spend 4.8 hours per week feeling anxious about work in their free time. That’s ten and a half days (10.4) days a year, or 371 days (just over a year in total) in a lifetime!
Nearly half of respondents (45%) confessed to worrying MORE now than before the pandemic, compared to just 9% who worry less.
35-44 year olds were found to spend the most time feeling anxious, worrying 5.2 hours on average.
Londoners are the most affected by the stresses of working life, worrying on average for 5.9 hours a week – 20% more than the national average.
A quarter of Londoners also confessed that they worry “much more” now than before the pandemic, indicating that an increase in home working could be a primary cause.
To help reduce work anxiety where possible, EZ Shopper’s founder, Will Driscoll, has released six tips to reduce stress via your home workstation. These include maintaining a singular working area, creating zen at your desk with greenery and scented candles, as well as packing away work-related objects at the weekend.
Commenting on the findings, Will Driscoll said:
“Since the start of the pandemic, working life as we know it has considerably changed. The majority of office workers now find themselves with the option to work from home, which can have countless benefits on workers’ mental and physical health.”
“However, working from home is not without its drawbacks. It’s no surprise to see that Brits worry about work more than before the pandemic, with the lines between home life and work-life blurring without the physical separation between an employee and their workplace.
“It’s important to make small changes to your home working environment to increase separation from your work as much as possible, ensuring that there are as few reminders of work in your home outside of working hours.”
