MORE people in the South feel burnt out and on edge because of work pressures compared with those in the North or the Midlands.

However the overall picture of workplace stress is not encouraging, with figures showing that it affects a concerning proportion of workers across all regions.

Twenty five per cent of workers in the South said it was because they were burnt out or always ill.

The North and Midlands weren’t far behind with 22 per cent and 18 per cent reporting the same reason, respectively.

Although a few regional trends have emerged from the survey we conducted, it’s concerning to see such a universally consistent picture of stress and anxiety caused by workplace issues.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this issue seems to be affecting confidence levels and damaging self-esteem.

It’s fair to say many of these people would be better off leaving for pastures new, whether that’s a different role, starting up on their own as a sole trader or founding a limited company.

Going back to the survey, 30 per cent of those in the South confessed to always feeling on edge compared with 25 per cent in the North and 21 per cent in the Midlands.

Well over a third (38 per cent) of those in the North said they always felt stressed, compared with 34 per cent of Southerners, and 29 per cent of those living in the Midlands.

  • Helen Monk is people manager at Crunch Accounting at Preston Road, Brighton