Manual labour, hard work under the sun (when it appears) and demanding customers.
Being a tradesperson might sound like a thankless job, but it turns out, it’s actually one of the least stressful professions.
A new study which factored in average working hours, salary, and reported cases of work-related stress, anxiety, or depression determined the overall stress levels associated with various occupations.
And it turns out that electricians, plumbers, and construction workers experience relatively lower stress levels than many other jobs.
Despite the demanding nature of their work, the number of work-related depression is remarkably lower in these sectors.
In 2023, less than 1% of workers per 100,000 reported experiencing work-related SAD (seasonal affective disorder) compared to others.
And, perhaps surprisingly, chefs are also pretty stress-free – which is hard to believe if you’ve ever watched The Bear.
The study, by Go.Compare Life Insurance, collated data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). They found that energy plant operatives had the least stressful job in the UK, closely followed by electricians, scoring 3.2 and 3.4 out of 10 on the stress index, respectively.
According to the 2021 Census, approximately 1.9 million Brits work in the process, plant and machine operative sector and 2.8 million work in skilled trades.
This means that over 17% of British workers are lucky enough to work in some of the UK’s most low-stress occupations.
Least and most stressful jobs in the UK
Least stressful
- Energy plant operative
- Electrician
- Water and sewerage operative
- Agricultural machinery driver
- Chef
- Construction
- Carpenter/Joiner
- Plumber
- Mechanic
- Roofer
Most stressful
- Midwife
- Counsellor
- Youth/community worker
- Nurse
- Fire service officer
- Occupational therapist
- Paramedic
- Police officer
- Teaching assistant
- Receptionist
On the other end of the scale, some of the most difficult professions might not come as a surprise.
Midwifery, counselling, youth and community workers, and nurses hold some of the most stressful jobs.
Other high-risk jobs that come with plenty of stresses include fire services, police, paramedics and therapists.
Teaching assistants and receptionists also deal with more stress than we might realise.
Go.Compare reached out to employee and mental health wellbeing provider, Rightsteps, to provide some insight into why certain jobs are more easygoing than others.
Dave Lewis, principal at Rightsteps, gave his opinion on why traders might have the least stressful jobs: ‘There could be lots of reasons, but it might be that for energy plant operatives the health and safety regulations that govern their role and working environment mean that individuals are both highly trained for their roles and that their workloads are closely managed to ensure the risk of errors are minimised, thus mitigating two key sources of workplace stress.’
How to tackle workplace stress
Dr Julia Dabrowski, a psychologist at Companion, previously shared her tips with Metro.co.uk:
- Identify the triggers. Try noticing the situations that typically trigger your anxiety. ‘What do you notice going on around you? What expectations are you faced with?Consider what may be going through your mind in these moments, what anxious thoughts are you having?’ Journaling can be a great way of taking note of these day-to-day experiences, to recognise patterns of feelings or behaviours.Â
- Identify and seek out the resources you need. Once you have an understanding of what is triggering the stress, it’s crucial to identify what resources you need to meet these needs or expectations. It could be that you need more time for deadlines or training in specific areas. ‘If you think this problem is solvable, identify ways of seeking out the resources needed. You may need to speak to your manager if you feel consistently under-resourced,’ adds Dr Julia.
- Chat to a manager. If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it can be a good idea to chat to your manager, to see if anything can be done to help. They also might be able to recognise if this is a common feeling within the team and take action if so.
- Practice anxiety and stress management techniques. Various stress and anxiety management techniques can help when things beyond your control get a bit much in the office. Relaxation exercises, deep breathing and mindfulness are just a few things to try – and various mental health apps offer these resources. Â
- Continue to engage with areas of your life outside of work. The more time we spend working, the more we close ourselves off to other activities and opportunities, and consequently the more focused we become on work. As a result, when something goes wrong at work, we feel a more intense levels of stress. It’s therefore a good idea to keep these external things up when you’re feeling a bit stressed at work, as they can help you to keep a sense of perspective and be more objective about the worries you’re facing. Dr Julia adds: ‘Next time you feel inclined to cancel social plans due to feeling tired from work, try taking the opposite action and engage with this activity. You may notice that after the initial effort, it provides you with much needed support, stimulation or distraction, and an opportunity for you to regain some perspective.’
As for the most stressful work, there are common factors in today’s working environment that make life hard for workers.
Dave added: ‘Feeling overwhelmed with the demands of your role is a very common cause, either because you don’t have the time to do everything demanded of you or because you’re asked to do things you don’t have the skills or knowledge to carry out. A lack of support from your manager or colleagues is also a common cause as is not having much control or autonomy over your work and how you do it.’
If you fall into the latter boat, it might be time to table a chat with managers and higher-ups.
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