Unlike robots, which are becoming more human by the day, or their four-legged companions, our battery cannot simply be recharged overnight. Nor can a problem be solved quickly with a screwdriver and a deft twist of the hand. That is why we have to learn to look after ourselves, precisely in the highly demanding area of work. When do we feel challenged and fully occupied by our work - and when is it actually too much and we notice that we are regularly overstepping our limits.
Let us start at the beginning: what does the research say on the subject?
That work, as a factor significant in time and important in content, has a substantial influence on our health is hardly news. In principle, work has the potential to have a positive effect on mental health: it fosters activity and competence, provides opportunities for cooperation and can act as a source of social recognition. It therefore fulfils important psychosocial functions - and that is already a big plus. With the increasing acceleration and intensification of the world of work, however, there are a number of things to watch out for in relation to our long-term well-being. Digitalisation in particular brings with it fundamental changes that create new burdens for working people. The generally increasing pace of work likewise leads to rising personal demands: always having the latest knowledge while being as flexible as possible. That of course holds new possibilities for everyday working life - but also new risks. For this reason Health Promotion Switzerland has been conducting regular surveys on work-related stress since 2014 and identifying connections with the health and productivity of working people.
Now to the facts: what do the figures say?
Almost a third of working people (29.6%) state that, by their own account, they have more burdens than resources in the workplace. This individually perceived imbalance of burdens and resources is what we classically refer to as «stress». And the trend over recent years is heading in an unfavourable direction: since 2014 the average stress value has been rising continuously; on average, therefore, burdens in the workplace have steadily increased and resources steadily decreased over recent years. The picture is similar for the proportion of working people who feel emotionally exhausted - and this figure is particularly important in relation to employees' well-being. By their own account, 28.7 per cent feel emotionally exhausted, which amounts to almost a third of all working people.
And what does that mean for us and our work?
First of all it is important to engage with this topic. Our working conditions are - alongside private burdens, of course - among the greatest influencing factors for stress and emotional exhaustion. In the long run these unfavourable working conditions can lead to serious health consequences: emotional exhaustion as a result of stress is one of the main characteristics of burnout. In the end the question of course arises: what can we do to reduce stress, to avoid emotional exhaustion and thus ultimately to avert serious consequences such as burnout? These are the questions we want to address in our next articles.
Faster, higher, further - but does that get us there?
by Elena Höppner Content MarketingPublished on 5/12/2022
Do you sometimes feel that you have to be permanently reachable, permanently up to date with the latest technology, permanently in top form? Ultimately achieving more and more in less and less time? Often, and more and more often, we have the impression that we have to add another notch of effectiveness to our work - much as every new technology does compared with the previous one. Even faster, even more flexible, even more innovative. After all, there is still room for improvement, isn't there?
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