30-45 year olds close to breakdown

500 professionals surveyed across metros; say their mental and physical health at great risk

500 professionals surveyed across metros; say their mental and physical health at great risk

If the stress of your daily routine wasn't enough, a recent pan-metro survey has now shown that city professionals are nearing the brink of breakdown, so much so that 59 per cent of respondents said that they would quit their current jobs if it added further to their stress levels.

The survey, which was conducted among 500 professionals aged 30-45 in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, also revealed that a large number of executives had availed of more medical leave than they are entitled to.

"We chose this age group because people falling into it are considered to be at the peak of their professional life and are assigned more responsibility than when they started out," said Dr Simanta Sharma, of HealthOn Foundation, a Mumbai health NGO. Sharma added that stress levels were taking a toll on individuals who were even younger, in many cases. "Young people in the early 20s are being scheduled for angioplasties or dealing with diabetes. It's a chronic problem that needs to be addressed."

Respondents complained of recurring health problems that included digestive system disorders (acidity, heartburn, frequent stomach upsets), fatigue, lethargy, neck pain, backaches, anxiety and depression due to workplace stress. Those interviewed included IT professionals, hospitality workers, airline crew, BPO and KPO workers.

Not many have the option of quitting or cutting down on workload, given the precarious job market. "I'm hoping that the tough times don't go on much longer. Yes, there is a lot of stress where I work but I'm staying put," said marketing professional Lipika Chaudhary (23), who says she often suffers from headaches given the constant pressure of meeting targets in a slack market due to recession.

However Vineet Kaul, HR Head for Aditya Birla Centre believed that rising stress levels are restricted to individual situations and "cannot be seen as a general corporate trend?

"We constantly communicate with our workforce regarding their role in the organisation and refrain from taking arbitrary decisions that could result in dissatisfaction," said Kaul.