Why Stress is Good For us

1 January 2004

Time Flies When We Are Under the Kosh

New research defies the myth that all stress is bad for us and in fact proves that it increases our job satisfaction. A dramatic 77% of people confirmed this claim, with only 7% reporting signs of slow down when stressed.

Pain relief experts Anadin* commissioned a team of occupational psychologists to investigate the findings further, with particular focus on peoples' perceptions of stress in relation to the passage of time at work. The research surveyed over 3000 people and concludes that a satisfying working day depends on three factors Stimulation, Stress and Time. Termed "The SST Scale" these factors are explained in the diagram below:

SST Scale

Stress plays a pivotal role in the SST Scale, showing that it is now a recognised part of our working lives. An individual's SST balance can be uneven if just one of the three factors is too high or too low.

The scale has been applied to fifteen occupations from bankers to builders, and has found that 50% of people have an unbalanced SST Scale due to stress and are consequently suffering from lack of job satisfaction.

People working in the education sector were found by the research to have the least spare time, therefore having one of the highest levels of stress and the most unbalanced SST. Surprisingly, at the other end of the scale, solicitors were found to have the best SST balance. Their role is fast-paced but balanced with spare time. This helps to maintain a degree of challenge throughout the day.

Here are the survey's ten most and least SST balanced occupations in the UK:

Top 5 SST Balanced Occupations Top 5 SST Unbalanced Occupations
Legal Insurance and financial services
IT and Communications HR, recruitment and training
Engineering, property and construction Education
Media Health and social care
Administration, secretarial and PA Manual and trade

Time
Time emerged as the key factor out of the three researched to influence the SST Scale. If your time allocation is too little or too much, it influences stress levels and job satisfaction. The idea that men have more time-pressured, stressful careers than women was finally dispelled by the report. Just 14% of women claim to regularly have spare time, in comparison to 26% of men who often find themselves at a loose end.

The research also revealed that our perception of time passing is determined by how stressed we feel and how busy we are. 46% of people questioned said that their working day passes more quickly when they are under pressure.

Stressful benefits
The study was commissioned by Anadin after initial research revealed that struggling to meet our work and personal commitments can increase the physical symptoms of stress. One in every two people who feel stress due to lack of time suffer from symptoms such as sleeplessness, headaches, muscle pain and nervousness. However, delving deeper into the issue has highlighted positive benefits which can be harnessed to improve job satisfaction.

Stressful Benefits Value %
Work most effectively when under a certain amount of pressure 49%
Focus better on what needs to be done when stressed 47%
Produce work of average to high quality when under pressure 83%

The author of the report, Aparna Malhotra comments on the findings:
"We have found that poor job satisfaction is a major cause of rising stress levels, but on the flip side, without stress people lack focus and they do not experience the same fulfilment from their working day. Sustained career contentment is a combination of the three factors,Stimulation, stress and Time. If one is too low or too high then it puts the other two off-kilter."

"Despite stress having bad side effects, a balancing act of Stimulation, Stress and Time is required for an effective working life. Although we are all different, people generally work best when they have a stimulating task at hand, a demanding role that challenges them and a realistic time scale."

Anadin's top tips to achieve a better SST balance
  • Look at your time, workload and how stressed you are feeling.
  • Try to increase or decrease one of the three factors in order to balance the others out.

You can do this in the following ways:

  • Plan your work so that when you need a break you are able to take it
  • Set realistic goals for yourself - don't expect too much
  • Aim to keep ahead of projects at work, but don't work late every day to achieve it
  • If you are feeling constantly stressed, talk to your boss about ways to alleviate the pressure
  • To identify your work-stress balance visit take the Relativity Test.
Research was conducted through:
  • Omnibus survey of a cross-section of 1001 people in the UK, June 2003
  • Online questionnaire responded to by over 2500 people, June 2003
  • Focus group made up of a broad range of the UK population, July 2003
  • Desk research
Source: IRI June 2003
  • Anadin is the number 2 brand with 14% value share, +4.5% on a twelve month basis (£46.2m consumer sales).
  • The adult oral pain relief market is worth £331m, +3.0%
  • Anadin Extra has 8.4% of the market, +5.9% (£27.8m consumer sales)

*Trade Mark