Are Chinese office workers the most stressed in the world?

Are Chinese office workers the most stressed in the world? Is the pressure on office workers in mainland China the highest in the world? According to the latest survey released by Regus, an office solution provider...

Starting in April this year, Regus surveyed more than 16,000 professionals in 80 countries and regions around the world and found that three-quarters (75%) of office workers in mainland China believe that they are under higher pressure than last year, ranking first in the world. The Germans ranked second, with other Asia-Pacific countries ranking third, and Hong Kong, China ranking fourth. Fifty-five percent of office workers in Hong Kong reported experiencing higher levels of stress than last year. The global average is 48%.

Regarding the main reason for increased stress, most respondents believe that it is caused by work. 73% of respondents in mainland China believe that work is the main source of stress, 62% of people in Hong Kong believe that work is the main source of stress, and 59% of respondents globally believe that work is the main cause of stress. The survey said that from the perspective of the overall environment, the slowdown in economic growth and the euro zone debt crisis have made most Chinese and German professionals feel stressed.

In addition to work, respondents from mainland China and Hong Kong regard personal financial status as the second source of stress, and the third is pressure from customers or management.

In mainland China, Shanghai seems to have become the "city of stress." Nearly 80% of employed people in Shanghai feel increased pressure, while the proportion in Beijing is 67%. Hans Leijten, president of Regus East Asia, told China Business News that as young people in China pursue a more balanced work and life, the so-called "naked speech" phenomenon is increasing.

Naked resignation refers to resigning before finding a new job, which reflects the degree of "determination" of the workplace comparable to naked marriage.

From a global perspective, the proportion of respondents who regard work as the main source of stress is higher in the Asia-Pacific region than in European, American and Latin American countries. At the same time, employees in small businesses are more likely to feel pressure from customers than those in large enterprises.

Regarding how to deal with workplace stress, the above survey found that more than half (55%) of mainland Chinese respondents regard flexible working as a way to reduce stress, and 88% of mainland Chinese respondents also believe that flexible working can improve productivity.

Robin Bishop, an NGO person who participated in the survey, believes that national and regional culture is one of the biggest obstacles to flexible working methods, followed by management's concerns about management being out of control. "The most striking finding of this survey is that 63% of respondents in the Asia-Pacific region believe that flexible working is a way to solve stress problems," she said. "We have always believed that companies cannot ignore the negative impact that employees have on the company due to work-life imbalance. Many companies are worried that flexible working will lead to a decrease in work efficiency. In fact, flexible working does not mean that employees reduce their workload, but that employees have greater control over the time, method and location of work."