Recent research has revealed that one in two workers within the construction and plumbing industries are not doing anything to help their stress management when outside of work
A survey conducted by Learning marketplace, Obby.co.uk, asked 1,015 UK construction and plumbing workers what they do to relieve stress outside of work.
More than half admitted that they do ‘little or nothing’ to manage their stress levels.
The study also showed that those working in the education and healthcare sectors are doing just as little to manage their stress and mental health outside of work.
For trades workers admitting that this is the case, a whopping 72% claimed a lack of spare time was the biggest obstacle.
Tom Batting co-founder at obby.co.uk said: “It’s extremely worrying how many workers within the trades sectors, such as construction and plumbing, claim they do not prioritise getting the stress relief that is so important for maintaining their mental health. The irony is that this can actually become a vicious cycle – if we don’t make time for stress relief, this can lead to becoming more stressed or even burnout, both of which can reduce productivity further.
“It’s in the managers and bosses’ interests to ensure that employees actually do take measures to manage their stress levels – whether that’s communicating how important this, allowing them flexi-time so that they can attend whatever activity it is that they do to relieve stress, or even providing classes or workshops for their workforce.
“As well as reducing stress, this can positively impact on employees’ focus, concentration and efficiency in the workplace. We see this time and again – employers who provide workers with healthy and stress-busting ‘perks’ like yoga, meditation or even arts and craft workshops reap the rewards in a more productive – and satisfied – workforce.”
However, for those making efforts to manage their stress and mental health outside of work, exercise and sport rank highly amongst popular stress-busting activites. Almost half of respondents find relief in physical activities while 39% find comfort pursuing personal interests and seeing family and friends.
