Half of Lancashire workers are suffering from worsening stress, report says

More than 50 percent of workers in Lancashire have reported that stress, anxiety or depression was caused by or made worse by work in the last 12 months, according to The Work in Lancashire: Understanding Job Quality and Productivity in the Region report.

It has come from the Institute for Research into Organisations, Work and Employment (iROWE) at the University of Central Lancashire, which surveyed a cross section of workers across Lancashire from a range of industries and sectors.

The participants responded to questions around the seven dimensions of ‘good work’: pay and benefits, contracts, work-life balance, job design and nature of work, relationships at work, employee voice and health and wellbeing.

The stress levels came despite 50 percent of respondents receiving some form of health support over the last 12 months, alongside 82 percent of employers supporting health and wellbeing.

Seventy percent of workers said they work longer than their contracted hours and only one in three said they could get their work done inside contracted hours.

In addition, 55 percent of people felt they were fairly paid, rising to 60 percent for women, which provides areas of concern in relation to pay, good work and productivity.

The results suggest that organisations need to work harder to consider the impact of work on their employees and consider how organisational practices and policy are reaching employees at a ground level.

The iROWE researchers raised concerns around so-called ‘brain drain’ in Lancashire as workers may be attracted elsewhere by more attractive rates of pay.

Furthermore, fixed term contracts were also criticised as being part of the ‘brain drain’ problem, with some participants recalling skilled and valuable members of staff leaving due to short-term contracts.

Dr Adrian Wright, Director of iROWE and Deputy Head of the School of Management at UCLan, said: “Our research, based on a cross section of employees and managers, gives us a valuable insight into the relationship between work, job quality and productivity, in the region.

“One of the most striking findings of our report is the impact that work has on the health and wellbeing of the workforce. Our findings highlight the need for attention towards formulation, implementation and communication of health and well-being policies ensuring there are clear links between policy, procedure and practice.

“The research highlighted some real positives such as high levels of job security and strong relationships at work, both which form solid foundations with respect to work and employment in the region.

“It also tells us about some important areas which we work on, such as working hours, staff development and career progression, health and wellbeing and employee voice, to enhance the quality of working lives and the regions productivity.”