65% of Russians believe that work has a negative impact on their health

65% of Russians believe that work has a negative impact on their health. This is evidenced by the results of an all-Russian survey by Rosgosstrakh and the Zarplaty.ru center. Workers in the field of jurisprudence and construction most often talk about the harm caused by the work process to their physical condition, and experts in the field of education talk about the mental state. The most common unpleasant symptoms faced by working Russians were stress (56%), back and leg pain (52%), constant fatigue (47%) and blurred vision (41%). Sedentary and too stressful work, early rises, toxic colleagues and poor nutrition lead to this, according to respondents.

The survey, which was attended by 2,180 Russians, on the impact of work on health in June 2023 was conducted by the Rosgosstrakh insurance company and the Zarplaty.ru research center. Nearly a third of respondents (29%) told researchers that work negatively affects their physical and mental condition. One in four noted that only physical health suffers due to professional activities. 11% complained exclusively about mental health problems.

The negative impact on physical condition was most often noted by workers in the field of jurisprudence (75%) and construction (50%). Mostly specialists in the field of education complained about the harm to mental health (33%). Employees from the areas of accounting and finance (43%), transport (41%) and industry (36%) spoke about the harmful effects of work on both physical and mental well-being.

The most unpleasant symptoms faced by working Russians were stress (56%), pain in the back and legs (52%), constant fatigue (47%) and blurred vision (41%).

Respondents believe that the main factors that affect health are sedentary work (so answered by 60%), too intense work, which is characterized by a large number of tasks and burning deadlines (40%), early rises (38%), toxic colleagues, manager or clients (27%), poor diet during the working day (24%). Employees of education (56%), IT and industry (50% each) most often complain about hard work. Health problems are blamed on restaurant and food service workers (67%), while poor eating habits are blamed on retail workers (56%). A toxic team is most often found in the field of transport (42%), art, as well as among the working staff (40% each).

Note that Gallup, in its annual report State of the Global Workplace, dedicated to studying the mood among employees around the world (including Russia), also notes that at the end of 2022, a record high level of stress at work remained at 44%. Back in 2019, it was 38%, but during the pandemic it began to grow and reached its current level in 2021. “Many factors affect stress levels in the workplace, but Gallup found that managers have the biggest impact on the level of stress their employees experience, and this in turn influences stress levels in everyday life,” the report says.

Not all factors leading to poor health can be changed, Olga Kuptsova, deputy director of the department of methodology and underwriting of personal insurance at Rosgosstrakh, comments on a Russian study, but the development of diseases can be prevented if you pay due attention not only to work, but also to yourself. She points out that employers are increasingly expanding the content of VHI programs, including not only medical care for emerging diseases, but also preventive options, such as check-ups or psychological consultations. It should be noted, according to HeadHunter, in 2022, companies began to more often indicate the presence of a corporate psychologist or psychological assistance to employees in job descriptions – an increase from September 21 to October 13 amounted to plus 84% ​​year-on-year.

Psychologist, career consultant and curator of educational courses for psychologists at Psychodemia (part of Ultimate Education) Vita Khlebnova claims that in her practice, eight out of ten clients complain about problems in the professional sphere – this is mainly due to a sense of insecurity and lack of fulfillment. And every second of them points to problems in relations with the team and with leaders, including describing the manifestation of aggression and manipulation in relation to oneself. “Now, it seems to me, the situation has escalated, since in many companies over the past three years there has been a general trend towards reductions and restructuring of teams. In addition, against the backdrop of the news, people experience anxiety, including the loss of a job, the fear of not finding a new one, ”says Ms. Khlebnova.

Luiza Gubaidulina, partner at Magnum Hunt Executive Search, adds that the atmosphere in teams “in a situation of tension” has indeed become tougher, as uncertainty, risks and responsibility have increased. According to her, leaders often become tougher, while the situation, on the contrary, requires them to have more empathy for employees and the ability to assess and support the psychological state of the team. “If an employee is burnt out or feels unwell for a long time and is stressed because of this, you need to talk to him, reduce his workload, give him an unscheduled vacation, connect VHI opportunities,” Ms. Gubaidulina believes. “This is primarily a concern for a person, but and the team as a whole can perform worse just because a stressed employee destabilizes it.”

Work has a powerful impact on a person’s life, both positive and negative, notes Elena Burdelova, a psychotherapist at the Doctis telemedicine service. This influence, according to her, may be due to several factors: if a person is not engaged in his own business or does not understand the meaning of his work, with working conditions and relationships with colleagues and superiors. “There is another important point that concerns socially significant professions, the so-called helping professions, in which people go by vocation – in this case, the psychological state of a person can also be influenced by the social and news background,” says Ms. Burdelova. The universal recommendation, in her opinion, for those who are faced with problems, is to be able to distinguish between areas of their lives and “not take work home”: turn off the phone, do not work on weekends and vacations, do not broadcast negative emotions on the family all evening, be able to switch to leisure and hobbies.

Natalia Kostarnova