This document summarizes the results of a survey about workplace stress conducted with 51 respondents. Key findings include: - 35% of respondents did not feel that management values employees as the most important asset. - Almost a third of respondents did not support the idea that management should encourage quality time away from work. - 30% of workers did not feel valued by their team. - Many respondents reported regularly working more hours than they should and feeling pressure to do so. - Over half of respondents felt they had unclear goals and responsibilities. - Many struggled to separate work and personal time due to working long hours and using personal devices for work. - Over 40% did not feel comfortable discussing challenges with management.

1. UNDERSTANDING STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE
CREATED BY JAMES BRODIE FROM BUDDHA TRAVEL
An anonymous small sample survey totalling 51 respondents sourced from across Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter. Predominately UK based
respondents from across all working ages ranges & employment types.
(from solos entrepreneurs to companies employing more than 150 people.)

2. OUR MANAGEMENT:
35.29%
29.41%
7.84%
19.61%
7.84%
“Our Management believes that employees & workers are
the most important asset in our business“
Surprisingly 35% of respondents did NOT AGREE with this statement.
Most of the 35% being employed rather than solo entrepreneurs & the
largest proportion of these being people work in companies that
employee 150 or more people.
21.57%
47.06%
7.84%
15.69%
7.84%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree
“Our Management believes that it is beneficial to have quality time away from the
workplace, where I can switch off“
Considering there is so much discussion around the impact of pressure & stress in the workplace on
worker’s mental health, it is shocking that almost a THIRD of respondents DO NOT support this
statement! There still remains much to do to educate & inform workers & managers on the
negative impact workplace related stress has on morale & productivity
Taking time to NOT be focused on work is healthy & management should be encouraging people to
make this a priority

3. KNOWING MY VALUE:
“I feel that I am a valued member of the team“
It is great to see that the majority of respondents feel that
they are valued in their workplace, but there are still 30% of
workers who DO NOT feel valued & of these 5 people that
strong disagreed with this statement.
When we asked “I enjoy my work?“ 76.5% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed.
Enjoying one’s work & having a good work-life balance is an important step on the path to managing your own workplace stress & maintaining good mental health.
27.45%
43.14%
1.96%
17.65%
9.80%
17.65%
50.98%
5.88%
17.65%
7.84%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree
“I know I am
good at my job
because I have
clear goals &
objectives.“
29.41%
47.06%
11.76%
5.88% 5.88%
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly
Disagree
35.29%
47.06%
3.92%
9.80%
3.92%
“I clearly understand
what my duties &
responsibilities are.”
It is interesting that generally the people who disagree or
strongly disagree with these 2 statements work for larger
employers. It is surprising that 31% people DO NOT seem to
work with clear objectives & goals & 17% suggest they DO
NOT understand their job role. Being able to measure &
review one’s performance is a robust way to identify
training or coaching needs, make staff more confident in
what they do & enable the work place more inclusive, ALL
of which in turn helps alleviate stress & improves
productivity

4. WORK HOURS:
When we asked the question “I feel under pressure to work long
hours because other people in my workplace are working long
hours?“
71% of respondents claim that they do NOT feel pressured to work long
hours, so that still leaves more than a quarter, who do feel the pressure to
work more hours than they might otherwise do.
If we look at some of the other responses to questions about working hours.
People are working more hours than perhaps they should or realise!!
5.88%
23.53%
9.80%
45.10%
15.69%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree
29.41%
39.22%
1.96%
21.57%
7.84%
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly
Disagree
When questioned almost 70% of
respondents claimed “to regularly work
more hours than they should”
39.22%
29.41%
0.00%
21.57%
9.80%
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly
Disagree
Almost 70% of respondents agreed or
strongly agreed with the statement ”I
regularly find myself checking
emails, dealing with clients and
completing other work related tasks
outside of normal working hours”.
Only 25% of workers who took part stated
they do not “find myself thinking
about work problems even when I
am supposed to be relaxing.”
25.49%
49.02%
1.96%
15.69%
7.84%
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly
Disagree

5. UNDER PRESSURE:
When we asked about “enough
hours in the day to do all the
things that I must do”, 75%
people felt that they had much more
to do than they could fit into the
working day.
.
We asked people if they “are actively
encourage to leave the workplace
on time.” Surprisingly ONLY around
40% stated that they that this happened
with almost 50% disagreeing or strongly
disagreeing with the statement.
29.41%
45.10%
3.92%
13.73%
7.84%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree
11.76%
29.41%
9.80%
33.33%
15.69%
43.14%
21.57%
19.61%
15.69%
The boundaries between where the workplace begins & ends
can be seen here! We asked people about the use of their
personal mobile as a work related tool.
“My personal mobile device is also used for work
related social media, emails, texts & calls.”
65% of people stated that there personal mobile is used for
work. How can one leave work in the workplace?!

6. CHALLENGE:
17.65%
45.10%
5.88%
25.49%
5.88%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree
We asked the question “When something I do at work is successful, it is
acknowledged and I am given credit.” It is genuinely encouraging to see that
almost 70% of people believe their contribution is acknowledged. We appreciate that
we did not clearly defined the term “credit”, so this could represent a simple “Thank
You”, employee of the month award or some kind of bonus or pay increase.
Interestingly of the remaining 30% the majority came from larger organisation
employing 80 plus people.
13.73%
47.06%1.96%
29.41%
7.84%
Here we asked if people are you
“comfortable in honestly talking
about the things & tasks they find
challenging & how this makes me
feel”, & the results would indicate that
there is still a large proportion of people
who DO NOT feel able to this in the
workplace with their managers
27.45%
45.10%
7.84%
13.73%
5.88%
It interesting to see that when we asked “I
Can talk to my line manager about
something that has upset or annoyed
me about work” people were more
inclined to agree with this statement with
key words of “annoyed” & “upset” as
apposed to a similar one where the key
words were “challenge” & “ how this makes
me feel”.
27.45%
41.18%
1.96%
21.57%
7.84%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree
Again when we asked about people’s
confidence in “sharing any problems
with a manager” almost 70% of people
felt that this was something they could do!

7. CONTROL
27.45%
25.49%
1.96%
21.57%
7.84%
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Srongly Disagree
Here we asked people if they are “able to control my
workflow & set my own priorities”. Over 50% of
people have said they can. This a positive outcome.
Although almost 30% of people felt they could NOT
influence this, that may simply be the type of role they
are working in or the culture of the company for whom
they work. Being able to influence one’s own work flow
does have a real positive impact in respect of morale &
productivity, but we acknowledge it is not always a viable
option.
19.61%
29.41%
9.80%
29.41%
11.76%
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Srongly Disagree
When we asked people if they are “supported by
Management & given training on managing people,
difficult situations & technology.“ there seems to be
a 50/50 split that is shown to affect all business sizes
including solo entrepreneurs. SME’s should be making use
of the services provided by Local Enterprise Agencies such
as BBF or OxLEP to help address any skills shortages. They
often provide free training or dedicated training solutions
from their partnership programmes. Workers who do not
believe they have the right skills for their job are less
engaged, struggle with performance & ultimately this has a
negative outcome on the customer experience.
When we asked “I feel that there are too many
deadlines at work & at home that are difficult
to meet.” 43% of people indicated that this was the
case, but it is equally interesting to see that almost
another 40% believe that this is not the case. There can
be a number of factor influencing this including non-
workplace scenarios.
21.57%
21.57%
17.65%
33.33%
5.88%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree

8. ATTITUDE:
21.57%
56.86%
3.92%
13.73%
3.92%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree
When we asked people about their attitude to work in the question “I always adopt a positive
approach to work related tasks & challenges?” it is surpassing to see that 11 respondents
did not reactive positively to this statement!
We have not ascertained the reasons for this negative approach, but it is concerning that this 22%
of the work force from across all age ranges & all company sizes feel this way.
There can be a variety of work place factors that influence this outcome & we have covered some
those in the proceeding sections.

9. BENEFITS OF ANNUAL LEAVE:
Almost everyone surveyed agreed that “employees that are rested, relaxed & recharged are more productive.” The problem seems to be that for many of us creating time where
work-place activities is not at the fore is the real challenge. As workers & employees, we need to be proactive in ensuring that we make this happen, but equally as managers and employers we
have a duty of care to ensure that our teams & staff are taking annual leave and not working unduly long hours to get the job done as a norm,.
78.43%
19.61%
1.96%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree

10. ANNUAL LEAVE
17.65%
29.41%
9.80%
21.57%
21.57%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree
Almost 50% of people we asked agreed or strongly agreed with the
statement “I find it difficult to make time for my annual leave
or to relax and enjoy this holiday time because of
workplace pressures.”
13.73%
52.94%
13.73%
11.76%
7.84%
“I am actively encouraged to organise taking my annual
leave. I never have to cram it all in at the end of the year.”
It is disappointing that 44% of respondents did not agree with this
statement. As employees annual leave is an legal entitlement that you
should be encouraged & supported in taking properly, where you have
no work commitments. Equally, it was surprisingly that only 2 solo
entrepreneurs answered this question with disagree or strongly disagree.
As self-employed people it is more challenging to find & create
downtime away for one’s business, but becoming burnt-out as a result of
not planning breaks & holiday in the end is not productive & will not
sustain a business long term.
The survey suggests that there is a lack of understanding the value &
benefits to business of workers making the most of their annual leave &
holiday entitlements. It appears this is a problem across all sectors &
company sizes.
9.80%
37.25%
11.76%
25.49%
15.69%
On a ratio of 24:21 people stated that they “find
thinking about & planning how to use my
personal time is stressful as work gets in
the way.” Once more this questions is re-
enforcing the ideas that holiday time (& personal
time) is secondary to the workplace. When in fact it
is equal & when well used is complimentary &
beneficial to workplace productivity.

11. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
17.65%
49.02%
13.73%
15.69%
3.92%
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Srongly Disagree
We asked if “Talking about holiday time, activities & experiences creates an instant morale boost
in the workplace”. Surprisingly 33% of people do not identify with this concept. Generally, at work we do
not spend 8 hours a day focused purely on work. As much as we are expected to leave our personal life at home
(although, we are not expected to leave our work life in the office), conversations relating to non-work subjects
are healthy. They allow for improved understanding between colleagues, create morale & support stronger more
agile teams. Also, the mind will continue to work on challenging subject even when engaged in casual discussion
thus meaning people become better problem solvers.
17.65%
43.14%
17.65%
17.65%
3.92%
We asked if “It will be beneficial if I can have access to
wellness professionals & coaches to support in managing
stress more effectively.” It is interesting to see that 20 (40%)
respondents did not agree or strongly agree with this statement.
Considering when we asked about training elsewhere in this survey,
50% of respondent indicated they DO NOT get adequate support in this
area, it seem strange that 40% of respondent in this question do not
indentify the value of being supported with coaching services, that
might assist them in being better able to meet the challenges the
work place throw in our direction.

12. CONCLUSIONS
Its clear that there are many great things happening in the workplace to make workers more resilient & agile. However, this small sample survey indicates that there
is still quite a long way to go to make ALL workplaces “worker friendly” & for the impact of undue stress taken seriously by all.
The survey suggest there are still many people, who are not fully engaged with their workplaces. Equally, it suggests that there is some way to go in educating
managers about the benefits of a building valued, engaged & resilient team members. There are a number of factor contributing to this:
• Consistently working LONG HOURS, whether by design or by default: Workers seem to be working significantly more hours than they should & so become less
productive. This in turn becomes a vicious cycle of longer hours means less productivity that means more hours are worked. This itself can build a culture
associated with PRESENTEEISM, where worker cannot take out. Workers that are Not rested are less engage, less able to perform & often have a negative attitude.
• COMMUNICATION has to be a two way street: The surrey shows that there is still some way to go in having free flowing conversations in the workplace around
challenges, concerns, goals, objectives & employee value. Creating a workplace structure where there is a regular performance review can only enhance the work
place experience. It will add focus to workers, develop training strategy, instil trust in managers & empower workers. Even for solo entrepreneurs setting goals &
having business reviews creates anchors in that business that make it thrive. Equally, it is important in organisation big or small to celebrate the success of
workers, all these smaller positive elements add up to delivering a better whole.
• Managing one’s WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Knowing the points between where work begins and ends are becoming less clear. Smart-phones & other technology allow us
to be connected with work 24/7, but doing this is NOT healthy for body or mind. It appears that we are expected to work well past leaving the workplace. For the
vast majority of workers there should be no need to work more than your contracted hours, but increasingly this seems to be happening.
From BUDDHA TRAVEL’s perspective, we can actively assist in building wellness & resilience in your teams, through working as part of you organisations
benefits programme to support you staff in making the most of their valuable annual leave & other holiday time. Workers that have access to defined
“downtime”, where they become rested, relaxed, recharged & can leave the worries of the workplace behind them, will return more engaged, more
dynamic, better able to handle the daily challenges, better problem solver & more productive. A healthy engaged work force will drive your business
success & create better customer engagement & loyalty.

13. THANK YOU!
NB: one respondent from OX26 answered all questions “strongly disagree”, as this is a small sample survey this data has been included in the outcomes,
but we accept this may not be a genuine respondent.