UK Businesses Urged to Help Employees Deal With Stress More ...( FRIMLEY England July 17 /- - N...),Health

FRIMLEY, England, July 17 /PRNewswire/ --

- New Report Highlights Dangerous Responses To Stress Among Employees

UK workers are most likely to turn to alcohol, smoking and comfort eating to help them deal with the stress of their occupations, according to a new 'Stroke in Business' report* from The Stroke Association, in association with Siemens. The report highlights the high levels of stress felt in many industries and the often unhealthy ways in which workers respond, potentially leading to serious health problems including increased risk of stroke. The 'Stroke in Business report' calls for UK employers to do more to encourage staff to use exercise to "de-stress".

The Stroke in Business report found that 73% of the UK workforce feels stress as a result of work, with the most common ways of dealing with stress being to get angry (47%); eat more (43%); cry (38%); drink more (34%) and smoke more (23%). Many of these responses are likely to lead to increased blood pressure, which in turn can increase the risk of serious health problems such as stroke, the third biggest killer in the UK. Exercise, one of best ways to combat and reduce stress, is used by just 13% of employees.

The publication of the Stroke in Business report coincides with the launch of Siemens Stroke for Stroke Week 2008, which challenges individuals to kick-start a regular exercise regime by signing up to rowing 10km, helping to raise vital funds for The Stroke Association.

Amongst those surveyed the recruitment sector was identified as the most stressful working environment, with 82% of recruitment consultants regularly feeling stressed, followed by the legal profession (78%), education (73%), marketing (71%), health (70%) and finance (68%). Housewives also made the top ten, with 64% regularly feeling the strain of their daily work in and around the home.

Responses to stress differ widely between professions, with the report showing marketing professio
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