- UK most stressed nation in Europe
- Work and finances are our most common stress triggers
- Cigna enhances self-referral service to support employees’ emotional wellbeing
9th October 2018 – Research from Cigna Europe has revealed that one in five Brits are suffering from unmanageable stress, with work and finances proving to be the nation’s most common stress triggers.
Identifying significant stress related issues within the workplace, personal health and well-being, the 2018 Cigna 360° Well-Being Survey shows that the UK is the most stressed nation in Europe, with the vast majority of Brits (80%) currently suffering from stress, and over a quarter of those (28%), declaring their work-related stress as being ‘unmanageable’.
Adding to the nation’s woes, the health insurance provider’s findings also rank the UK as more stressed than other nations by family and health issues, behind the likes of France, Germany and Spain. Three quarters of us don’t have enough time to spend with friends, only a third have time for hobbies and two thirds (67%) complain they don’t get enough sleep at night.
Despite calls for workplace well-being solutions, the survey also shows that the UK is falling behind other Western markets in its development of well-being programmes, with less than one in ten (9%) of employees saying they have access and use a workplace well-being programme. The research highlights that almost one in three (29%) employees rate stress management as the second most desired healthcare benefit in the UK, and half of us would like flexible leave, despite only 17% of businesses offering this.
Phil Austin, CEO Cigna Europe, said: “From our research we can see that the majority of British workers feel stressed, yet only 1 in 4 of those who are stressed have spoken to a medical professional to relieve this as they either believe they are strong enough to handle it or they simply don’t think it’s useful This is concerning and highlights the important role and duty of care employers have to play in supporting their staff to address this. Our research helps highlight the importance of a healthy lifestyle and a good work/life balance, not to mention the impact on our stress, happiness levels and productivity at work.”
Phil continues “We remain committed as ever in helping employers tackle this prevailing issue, and the latest enhancements to our self-referral pathway are centered around making it as easy as possible for employees to access emotional wellbeing support. Having the right support in place and early intervention can have significant positive impact on a prognosis, reduce the cost of treatment and help employees to return to work quickly. It’s important to us that our customers get fast access to the care they need, no matter what their emotional wellbeing concern is, and the addition of our new treatment options means we are offering the full spectrum of emotional wellbeing support.”
In partnership with Nuffield Health, the additional treatment options, embracing a full stepped care approach to emotional wellbeing have recently been introduced to Cigna customers. The two new additions; guided online therapy for mild to moderate symptoms and emotional wellbeing therapy for common emotional wellbeing conditions, aim to help reduce the number of people currently referred for more intrusive treatments and ensures the appropriate level of care.
For more information on Cigna’s enhanced emotional wellbeing offering visit: www.cigna.co.uk
For more information please contact Jennifer McIlroy at Clarion Communications on 07415350752 or email cigna@clarioncomms.co.uk
The 2018 Cigna 360° Well-being Survey drew on 14,467 online interviews across 23 countries and territories and can be downloaded here.
About Cigna
Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, wellbeing and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions and has more than 95 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.
Cigna in Europe
Cigna is a leading provider of health benefits and services across Europe. Our healthcare solutions are there to support the whole health journey no matter where employees are based. We advocate and encourage a healthier lifestyle for employees to help prevent future ill health. We deliver seamless benefit solutions that meet the needs of organisations with a local or global workforce, providing access to healthcare, online tools and everyday assistance. To learn more, including links to follow us on social media, visit www.cigna.co.uk and www.cignaglobalhealth.eu.
Positive health and wellbeing in the workplace has never been more important, and Cigna Telehealth services have been built with all of this in mind, bringing together best practice, research and industry insights into one accessible place. Many health issues are both predictable and preventable, and Cigna offers a collective, integrated and innovate tool that gives users greater control of their health and wellbeing, and furthermore makes it easy via 1-2-1 online coaching.