America’s younger workers most stressed, Unum finds

April 26, 2018

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.-- Unum (NYSE: UNM), a leading provider of employee benefits, finds younger workers experience stress more frequently than their older peers and is shedding light on the negative health effects of stress during Stress Awareness Month.

Key findings from a survey commissioned by Unum in January 2018 among 1,232 U.S. adults include:

Thirty-nine percent of workers ages 18-34 experience stress daily to several times a week.
Older Baby Boomers are the least stressed, with 79 percent of workers age 65 and older experiencing stress infrequently or never.
Working women of all ages report more frequent exposure to stress than working men, with 54 percent of women feeling stress daily to weekly compared to 47 percent of men.
The top causes of stress among all age groups include financial stress (49 percent), home life and family relationships (43 percent), personal health (35 percent), job responsibilities (33 percent), and the health of family members (33 percent).

“Stress impacts worker productivity and can escalate over time to more serious health concerns and absences,” said Greg Breter, senior vice president of Benefits at Unum. “While stress may not be reported as the primary cause of absence, it’s often the underlying issue that caused or exacerbated another health condition and slowed down recovery.”

Although most stress originates outside of the workplace, it’s in an employer’s best interest to provide resources that proactively support employees in managing their stress before it escalates and impacts their job. The American Institute of Stress estimates stress costs the U.S. economy over $300 billion annually in absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, lower productivity, accidents and medical costs.

Stress has physical, behavioral and cognitive side effects. While it can manifest differently from person to person, common signs include a significant change in quality of work, professional demeanor or personality.

The body’s short-term responses to stress include:

Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Tense muscles, nausea or dry mouth
Avoidance behavior, lack of participation in group activities
Reduced reasoning, difficulty making decisions
Increased ‘fight or flight’ response, unhelpful or ‘black-or-white’ thinking
Working longer hours or often late

The long-term responses include:

Loss of memory, concentration or confidence
Irritation and anger
Causing or aggravating of mental health conditions
Increased risk of chronic high blood pressure, stroke or heart attack
Tight chest, panic attacks or fainting
Headaches and back, neck or shoulder problems
Increased glucose in blood leading to blood sugar imbalance or diabetes
Loss of energy

For tips on how to manage stress in the workplace, visit https://workwell.unum.com.

Contact:
Unum Group
Kelly Spencer
423-294-4508
Toll free: 866-850-8686
Kspencer2@unum.com