Do you think your job is stressful? If so, what makes it so stressful? According to a new survey released by CareerCast, the most common workplace stressor is deadlines. CareerCast surveyed over 1,000 employees and found that 71% of respondents say they have higher-than-moderate stress levels in the workplace.
The survey asked respondents to grade their job stress levels on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being “no stress” and 10 being “constant stress.” CareerCast says 71% of respondents scaled their stress levels as 7 out of 10. Respondents were also asked what were the biggest contributing factors to their stress. The survey found that deadlines (30%) were the highest stressor, followed by being responsible for the lives of others (17%), competitiveness (10.2%), and physical demands (8.4%).
What is the most stressful career out there? According to the survey, employees in the public safety and entertainment industry were the most stressed, with 91% scaling their stress levels as 7 or higher. The IT industry has the least stressed workforce, with only 50% scaling their stress levels as 7 or higher. More employees in education (88.9%) scale their jobs as a 7 or higher than the healthcare workers (69%) who say the same.
The top 11 stressors cited in the survey include:
- Deadlines (30%)
- Life of another at risk (17%)
- Competitiveness (10%)
- Physical demands (8%)
- Working in the public eye (8%)
- Growth potential (7%)
- Life at risk (7%)
- Hazards encountered (5%)
- Meeting the public (4%)
- Travel (3%)
- Environmental conditions (2%)
CareerCast also released a list of the most stressful jobs of 2017, which include:
- Enlisted military personnel—Stress score: 72.74
- Firefighter—72.68
- Airline pilot—60.54
- Police officer—51.68
- Event coordinator—51.15
- Newspaper reporter—49.90
- Senior corporate executive—48.56
- Public relations executive—48.50
- Taxi driver—48.18
- Broadcaster—47.93
Fortunately for HR professionals, your career did not make this list!
 Melissa Blazejak is a Senior Web Content Editor at BLR. She has written articles for HR.BLR.com and the HR Daily Advisor websites and is responsible for the day-to-day management of HR.BLR.com and HRLaws.com. She has been at BLR since 2014. She graduated with a BA of Science, specializing in Communication, from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2008. Most recently, she graduated in 2014 with a MS of Educational Technology. |