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German workers feel more stressed

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German workers feel more stressed
Photo: DPA

Nearly half of Germany's workers feel more stressed than two years ago, a study suggested on Tuesday.

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It also said that lots of employees were working on their days off but that just four percent worried about getting the sack.

The results of the Stressreport Deutschland 2012 reported by the Bild newspaper, showed that 43 percent of working Germans felt their stress levels had increased over the past two years.

Of the 17,000 people asked, 52 percent said that they were under serious pressure at work to succeed and were being set very tight deadlines. Yet their concentration was often being scattered, with 44 percent saying they were regularly interrupted by phone calls and emails.

In fact, 47 percent said they rarely had the chance to get their heads down without being distracted. Thirty eight percent said that they simply had too much work.

Just over a quarter admitted to skipping breaks and working through, while 64 percent said they would get work done on Saturdays and 38 percent on Sundays and bank holidays.

Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen has called for companies to have more social responsibility when it came to the stress levels of their employees.

“Stress at work happens but it should not be permanent,” she told Bild. She said she was waging war on stress and that she expected employers to join her.

While Germans might be teetering on a stress-induced breakdown, the survey did show that 80 percent felt they had a good relationship with their co-workers and would help others out.

Around three quarters said they thought they had improved in their job and a giant 96 percent were not overly worried that they might lose their jobs.

DPA/The Local/jcw

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