One in 4 Swiss workers feels stressed: study

GENEVA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- A quarter of all Swiss employees feel stressed and exhausted at work, leading to serious health problems and lower productivity, according to a survey released on Friday.

The Job Stress Index, carried out by Health Promotion Switzerland together with the University of Bern and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, showed stress levels at work rising from 24.8 percent in 2014 to 25.4 percent in 2016.

The authors concluded that one quarter of staff were in a "critical situation", while stress problems were "significant" for half of those interviewed.

Survey participants complained of a lack of flexibility and no support from their boss to cope with time pressures, job insecurity, and organizational issues.

One-third of the people interviewed said they had no problems with their work situation.

The study found that employees who suffered from greater stress are generally more dissatisfied and irritable at work, and more easily prepared to resign.

Serious health consequences include sleep and psychosomatic problems.

The researchers found that stress results in greater absenteeism and work-related health costs - estimated at five to 5.8 billion Swiss francs (5.3 to 6.1 billion U.S. dollars) over the past three years.

Another recent study -- the Good Work Barometer commissioned for the Swiss employers' association, Travail Suisse, detected higher levels of stress in the workplace, Swissinfo reported.

It found that 41 percent felt they were often stressed or very stressed at work. Enditem