A low salary is the main stress factor at work for 28.2 per cent of employees in Mena, followed by  a lack of job security (12.3 per cent) and the workplace environment (9.7 per cent), a report said,

Workplaces today are more stressful than they were a few years back (52 per cent), and more than two thirds (69.1 per cent) agreed that they feel more pressure at work this year in comparison to last year, in the poll entitled ‘Stress in the Mena Workplace’ conducted by Bayt.com, a leading job site in the Middle East.

The majority of respondents feel overwhelmed at work (83 per cent), with 26.2 per cent feeling overwhelmed ‘all of the time’, and 74.8 per cent claiming that jobs at their companies are more demanding than others. More than a third (35 per cent) claim to spend too much time at work, while a quarter say that they spend just the right amount of time. Just 2.9 per cent admit that they are spending too little time at work.

According to Mena respondents, stress does not affect work performance the most. For them, stress affects their family relations the most, with 27.9 per cent of the respondents saying so. This is followed by their friendships (21 per cent), work performance (19.9 per cent) and health (16.4 per cent).

 The three main stress factors for Mena respondents are their financial situation (40 per cent), their work (19 per cent) and their personal issues (18 per cent).

While almost a quarter of respondents (24.7 per cent) claim to experience an average amount of stress at work, 57.4 per cent of them find the workplace stressful; with 17.6 per cent admitting that their workplace is ‘extremely stressful’ and 19.7 per cent claiming to experience ‘a little stress at work’. 18 per cent of the respondents claim that their workplace is not stressful at all.
Forty per cent of the respondents claim that technologies, like email, laptops and phones, intended to make their lives easier, are actually contributing to work stress; 42.1 per cent believe the opposite to be true.

When it comes to avoiding work stress altogether, a quarter of the respondents (25 per cent) agree that engaging in regular team meetings and working for a company that offers flexible hours (23.9 per cent) will reduce the stress component. In fact, more than three quarters claim that they could do a much better job if given more time (77.4 per cent).

Over two thirds of the respondents (67.9 per cent) admit that they can express their thoughts or complain about their workload, and the majority receive adequate acknowledgment and appreciation when their work is good (82.7 per cent). Moreover, 92.2 per cent have adequate control, or input, over their work duties, and almost three quarters (73.6 per cent) agree that the management is sufficiently sensitive to, and helpful, in resolving needs, conflicts, or other problems that are stressful for employees.

To resolve their stress issues, 43.6 per cent of respondents exercise more frequently, while 39.7 per cent turn to socializing with friends after work.

“Work-related stress can be caused by poor work organisation, poor work design, unsatisfactory working conditions, low salaries, and lack of support from colleagues and managers,” said Suhail Masri, Vice President of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com. “At Bayt.com, not only do we provide a wealth of jobs and recruitment solutions to connect professionals looking for jobs and companies looking to hire, but we also empower people with access to live data on workplace trends and challenges across the Mena region.”

“Our mission is to empower people with the tools and information they need to lead their lifestyle of choice, so we are constantly creating new, innovative solutions to make it easier for employers and professionals to come together and share their ideas and concerns. Bayt.com Specialties, an online networking platform by Bayt.com, is one of these solutions,” Masri concluded. – TradeArabia News Service