Health and wealth stress us out

Health and wealth stress us out

Health and money are the two things stressing us out according to a recent survey by New Zealand’s largest health insurer Southern Cross.

The research, carried out by TNS on behalf of Southern Cross Healthcare Group, found that 29% of New Zealanders are more stressed out than a year ago.

And there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight – these findings are backed up by the 2015 Wellness in the Workplace survey that showed 28.6% of businesses reporting employee stress levels on the rise.

The TNS survey showed that;

• 52% of people are worried about their current or future health issues

• 21% are worried about the health of family and friends

• 32% are worried about staying fit and healthy

• 47% are worried about having enough money to live on

• 30% are worried about bill or mortgage payments

• 35% are stressed out by their workload and deadlines

Southern Cross spokesperson Aimee Bourke says, “What the research shows is on an individual level people are feeling more stressed, and this tends to lead to health issues in the long run.”

Young people reported being stressed out trying to get ahead at work and maintain a social life, whereas older respondents were more concerned about their health and the health of their family and friends.

Businesses should try and offset stress levels or expect reductions in productivity, says Bourke.

“If you invest time and effort when training your staff it makes sense that you would also invest in their health and provide tools for them to better manage stress.”

“What we know is that businesses can help mitigate this by providing employees the tools to alleviate or better manage their triggers of stress.

“Annual health checks, immunisations, wellness and financial literacy programmes and offering flexible hours and the option to work from home if they need to care for a family member, are just some of the ways the workplace can help,” says Bourke.

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