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Photo: DPA

German workers feel more stressed

Published: 29 Jan 13 11:52 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20130129-47627.html

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

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

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

22:02 January 29, 2013 by Berlin fuer alles
'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.'

HaHa. This makes me laugh. Why would a company have social responsibility to an employee when they can get the job done cheaper by outsourcing the work or replacing these employees with interns. This is the real truth of Booming Germany and Dr. Merkyl and Mr. Hyde's economic and employment policy. Burn out the current workforce and replace with cheap labour.
22:30 January 29, 2013 by steel jaws
There has always been stress in places of employment, that is nothing new, but years ago few bothered to talk about this problem. Currently however it would seem that a new sort of management demands working situations in which stress is deliberately promoted.

The fear of losing the job, or being left out of the next rise in wages, is deliberately spread among workers who might otherwise stand up for their rights. The mobbing of workers representatives, is not only to be found within the chains of discount foodshops, but also in manufacturing concerns which operate in international markets.

A well known family company in Bielefeld, which has lost many of its customers, because it has been selling third class quality goods from China under its German name, is a typical example. Instead of sacking the incompetent general manager, the owner tries to drive a wedge between those about to be sacked, and those who hope to remain employed.

The result is, that employees feel they have to do far more work, than they are in fact paid for, in order to feel safe. Such fear is a bad master. This may appear to save money in the short term, but later causes a higher rate of illness and therewith higher costs amongst the staff, while not resolving the real problem.

Only well motivated personnel can bring success to a business in the long run and stress, of a positive kind, can even make a place of employment more interesting. Stress caused by fear not only ruins the healthof the employee, but is also indirectly harmful for the employer
00:54 January 31, 2013 by Aasteroid
That's a typical German worker?
05:14 January 31, 2013 by Biorealist
Heh @ "Typical German worker"!

Not too subtle there with the image choice? This reminds me of old USSR propaganda - except here it is to promote the multicultural utopia!
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