Paramedics are the most stressed employees in the UK, according to new
research.
Teachers, social services and prison officers follow close behind in the
survey by business psychologists Robertson Cooper.
More than 25,000 people across 26 occupations were evaluated in the areas of
physical health, psychological wellbeing and job satisfaction.
Ambulance personnel suffered the most with their physical health. Social
services had the worst psychological wellbeing, and prison officers got the
least job satisfaction.
The least anxious workers are directors in the private sector, who came
bottom of the stress table in all three areas measured by the study. Directors
in the public sector were also surprisingly low down in the table – 20th out of
26 occupations – reporting particularly high levels of job satisfaction.
Personnel Today research has shown that the UK loses 1.5 million working
days to stress a year at a cost of £1.24bn to employers.
Table of pressure
(1=worst)
Physical health
1 Ambulance staff
2 Teachers     Â
3 Social services, providing care
4 Customer services (call centre)
5 Bar staff      Â
6 Prison officer
7 Management (private sector)
8 Clerical and admin
9 Police
10 Teaching assistant
Psychological wellbeing
1 Social services, providing care
2 Teachers     Â
3 Fire brigade
4 Ambulance staff
5 Vets
6 Lecturers
7 Clerical and admin
8 Management (private sector)
9 Prison officer
10 Research (academic)
Job satisfaction
1 Prison officer
2 Ambulance staff       Â
3 Police
4 Customer services (call centre)
5 Social services, providing care
6 Teachers
7 Nursing
8 Medical/dental
9 Allied health professionals
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10 Bar staff
Source: Robertson Cooper