Stressed, Depressed And In Need Of A Rest

i-to-i founder Deirdre Bounds says: “It’s well documented that Brits work some of the longest hours in Europe, so it’s perhaps not surprising that people are beginning to feel burnt out. Nearly half of workers questioned (44 per cent) said they’d experienced work-related stress and one in ten (11 per cent) had actually taken time off sick as a result.

“We also found that one in three (34 percent) don’t plan on doing their current type of job for the rest of their lives, and one in four (22 per cent) are keen to take a career break. So with Christmas being traditionally a time when folks take stock of their lives, employers could
be seeing a stack of situations vacant in January!”

I can’t get no…job satisfaction

Much of the nation’s job dissatisfaction seems to arise from people ‘falling into’ careers rather than doing something they really want to do, a plight affecting nearly one in three workers (28 per cent). Similarly, a fair proportion of the UK’s workforce say they would enjoy work more if they felt their jobs were more worthwhile. For example:

• One in seven (14 per cent) of employees would be prepared to take a pay
  cut if it meant they were happier in their work.
• One in five (19 per cent) would like to do a job that helps other people /
  communities

Correspondingly, nearly a quarter (22 per cent) would like to take time out to decide what to do with the rest of their lives.

Deirdre adds: “The latest research reflects a growing trend that we’ve seen at i-to-i, over the last few years and particularly over the last 12 months. More and more people are waking up to the fact that ‘gap’ breaks years aren’t just for university students. They’re thinking ‘If Ewan McGregor can do it, so can I!’

“January is often one of our busiest months, as people suffering from the post-Christmas blues decide to take the plunge, quit their job and do something meaningful abroad. And if our latest statistics are anything to go by, employers better beware!”

This year I am mostly going to be detoxing and booking a holiday…

Backing i-to-i’s ‘new year, new horizons’ theory, was the fact that travel came high up on the list of people’s resolutions for 2005. In fact, travel was beaten only by the predictable pledge to get healthy. According to the research, this year Brits will resolving to:

1. Adopt a healthier lifestyle
2. Travel / book a foreign holiday
3. Change their career
4. Take a course / study
5. Ditch a current partner / find a new partner
6. Go to live / work in another country
7. Volunteer / support a charity
8. Take up a new hobby
9. Make a major purchase
10. Move house

Resolving that is, for the first week in January anyway!