CHICAGO – Oct. 22, 2019 – Some 36 percent of employees say people issues cause them the most heartburn at work, according to the 2019 StressPulseSM survey, released today by ComPsych®. In addition, 20 percent of employees say stress is causing them to miss six or more days per year. ComPsych Corporation is the world’s largest provider of employee assistance programs and is the pioneer and worldwide leader of fully integrated EAP, behavioral health, wellness, work-life, HR, FMLA and absence management services under its GuidanceResources brand.

“Given that it’s an employee market today, many organizations are experiencing increased turnover,” said Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, Founder, Chairman and CEO of ComPsych. “This can cause employees to be more stressed given their changing roles, shifting teams and the need to do more with fewer resources.”

Key Findings:

  • 36 percent of employees say “people issues” are their greatest cause of stress at work, up 5 points from the previous year.
  • 20 percent of employees are missing more than six days per year due to stress, up 3 points from the previous year.
  • Overall stress levels remain high, with 61 percent of employees saying stress is causing feelings of fatigue and being out of control.

StressPulse Results

Stress Levels  

61% Have high levels of stress, with extreme fatigue/feeling out of control          

34% Have constant but manageable stress levels

5% Have low stress levels

Work Priorities

57% See accomplishing basic responsibilities as most important

27% See being present as most important  

16% See performance improvement as most important

Causes of Stress at Work

39% Cite workload

36% Cite people issues

14% Cite juggling work and personal life

7% Cite lack of job security

4% None of the above (I’m not stressed)

Causes of Stress at Home

25% Financial issues

22% Family, friends or relationship issues

21% Juggling work with personal life

14% Personal to-do list

8% Health issues

10% None of the above (I’m not stressed)

Impact of Stress Upon Daily Productivity

41% Lose 15-30 min. per day in productivity due to stress

37% Lose 1 hour or more per day in productivity due to stress

22% Report productivity is unaffected by stress

Impact of Stress Upon Attendance

53% Miss 1 to 2 days per year due to stress

27% Miss 3 to 6 days per year due to stress

20% Miss more than 6 days per year due to stress

Impact of Stress Upon Effectiveness

47% Come to work 1 to 4 days per year when too stressed to be effective          

28% Come to work 5 or more days per year when too stressed to be effective

25% Say stress does not impact effectiveness

Impact of Personal Tasks Upon Daily Productivity

64% Lose less than 30 min. per day due to personal tasks

18% Lose 30 min. per day due to personal tasks 

18% Lose more than 1 hour per day due to personal tasks

Most Common Reasons for Absences

39% Cite medical reasons/illness (self)

37% Cite stress and personal relationship issues

24% Cite caregiving responsibilities 

Coping Strategies for Stress

55% Take frequent “stress breaks” at work to talk with others

35% Work harder