A nationwide poll[1] by international safety barrier manufacturer, A-SAFE, has revealed that people employed in the food and drink processing or warehousing industry lose sleep as a direct result of worrying about work.
The company polled 1,000 people working in industries including automotive, food and drink, logistics and transport, retail, and government, finding that over half (51 per cent) of food and drink employees lose sleep over their job. The data showed that around 18 per cent of workers regularly lose sleep, with a further 33 per cent experiencing occasional loss of sleep.
The poll found that some food and drink processing and manufacturing workers are losing more than 10 hours of shuteye a week due to workplace stresses, identifying job security (40 per cent), workplace accidents (30 per cent) and the future of the business (30 per cent) as people’s biggest worries at work. Budget concerns (28 per cent), line management (21 per cent) and tight deadlines (18 per cent) were also revealed as factors that contributed to a loss of sleep.
In addition to a loss of sleep, the poll also revealed that workplace worries result in anxiety (33 per cent), increased alcohol intake (26 per cent) and arguments with friends and family (18 per cent) for workers in the food and drink sector.
James Smith, Co-owner of A-SAFE, said: “Everyone at work will come across workplace stress or worries at some point in their career, and it’s really interesting to see the various factors affecting people working in the UK, to help inform how to best address the issue.
“We wanted to see how employees in different industries cope with workplace stresses, and what impact this might have on Health & Safety. The results suggest that worries at work can have a negative impact on life outside the office, leading to actions that could affect work performance.
“We hope the findings give insight into exactly what contributes to work-related stress, and help employers ensure these factors don’t impact on the health and wellbeing of employees and the day-to-day running of their business.”