Australians might have a laid-back reputation, but it’s not being reflected in people’s working lives.
A workplace report by global analytics and advice firm Gallup found in 2022, 48 per cent of Australians reported high levels of stress at work, making them the second most stressed-out workers in the world, alongside New Zealand.
The US, Canada and countries in East Asia tied for the unfortunate title of the world’s most stressed workers.
Gallup’s survey did not ask for specific reasons for the stress, but the report found work itself can be a source of stress, as can low engagement, inflation or personal family health issues.
Fiona Macdonald, policy director for industrial and social at The Australian Institute’s Centre for Future Work, said a contributing factor to high stress levels could be employees being overworked.
She said there has been consistent reporting of work encroaching on private life through unpaid overtime, and workers either not having access to leave thanks to casual or gig arrangements or workers not taking a break and letting leave build up.
Within the context of the rising cost of living and years of falling real wages, and with more Australians taking on multiple jobs to cope, the stress felt by workers may be getting worse.
Although it could easily be dismissed as part of life, Dr Macdonald said stress at work needs to be taken seriously.
“Stress at work causes occupational health and safety problems [when people are tired or rushing] … it’s really costly to employers as much as it is to workers [as] it can see people out of work for long periods and unable to earn a living [due to burnout],” she said.
“It can see people have dreadful problems in managing work and family; so for women, if you’ve got high stress at work … exacerbated by trying to balance work and care, we’ll see women exit the labour force due to the inability to manage. So it’s got really significant consequences.”
Workers stressed across the board
High-status, full-time jobs with long hours may get more attention for their effect on workers’ lives, but Dr Macdonald said other industries like aged care or child care can wreak havoc on workers’ health.
“[In] the care industry, where workers are primarily part-time hours workers, many of them are casual, there are very high levels of stress in those jobs and … turnover can be twice the rate in those industries as it is across the workforce generally,” she said.
“If you combine low pay with understaffing, you’ve got workers in jobs who just kind of find it impossible because they feel like they can’t do their jobs well, and they’re not actually getting paid very much for them.”
Dr Macdonald said the long-standing idea that Australians are laid back needs a rethink.
“It’s an unfair characterisation for most people who are working are working really hard, and do experience stress,” she said.
“We’re certainly not the land of the long weekend and … all-at-home-at-four o’clock, as I think has been this idea that we are.”
