Feeling the strain: stress and anxiety weigh on world’s workers

Feeling the strain: stress and anxiety weigh on world’s workers

The intensity of work since the start of the pandemic pushed Sarah "close to a breakdown“. The owner of a small UK-based business could not sleep or eat. "The pressure to keep the business going was all-consuming, I couldn't take time off because I had hundreds of clients relying on me and looking to [me to] guide them through.“

Judging by a global survey by the Financial Times on work and mental health, to which more than 250 readers responded, Sarah's experience was not unique. The respondents, who came from all corners of the world, were predominantly white-collar from sectors including education, financial services and media. They spoke of the difficulties “” and benefits “” of new work practices and about the demands spurred by the pandemic that have affected their mental health.

The pandemic has illuminated the areas of respondents' lives “” including career seniority, home environment and caring responsibilities “” that have had an impact on people's ability to do their job. Surveys show that mental wellbeing varies across the world. Britons, according to research by YouGov, are the most likely to report that Covid has harmed their mental health (65 per cent) followed by those in Hong Kong (63