World's most stressed: ME finance professionals

Stress at the workplace is not a new problem facing professionals in the UAE and the Middle East at large, but what might come as a shocking revelation is that finance professionals in the region are the most stressed out among their peers in the world.

A new survey released by eFinancialCareers, a career site for professionals working in banking and the financial markets, reveals that our friends in this particular sector fare the worst when it comes to stress at the workplace and the problems that come along.

The findings reveal that finance professionals in the region beat their counterparts in other parts of the world. The survey shows that 31 per cent of regionally-based finance professionals say they feel “very” stressed at work – more than their counterparts in the UK, US, Germany and France.

The fear of not having a job only adds to the woes. A majority (58 per cent) reported that they are either very or quite concerned about being laid off in the next six months, which is perhaps why Middle East professionals put in the most overtime, with 41 per cent claiming it is due to staff cut backs, the survey puts it.

Late last year, a survey released by finance and accounting recruitment firm Robert Half also showed that employees in finance in Dubai work harder than some of their European counterparts but lag behind Asian workers.

According to that survey, nearly nine in 10 (89 per cent) of employees in Dubai work longer than their contract require them to. This means that only one in 10 Dubai finance and accounting professionals leaves work on time every day.

Going back to the survey released by eFinancialCareers the US workers report having adequate leisure time to counterbalance work-related pressure, with 75 per cent saying they have enough time for interests outside of work. In the Middle East, it is the opposite, with 61 per cent saying they have no time to enjoy leisure pursuits.

But this is something that they obviously want to change. Professionals in the region want a better work-life balance and it is the most important factor that can motivate them at work.

Another survey released by job portal Bayt.com shows that a good work-life balance strikes high in the hearts of people working in the region. The survey entitled Employee Motivation in the Mena reveals that professionals in the region consider a good work-life balance to be the most important factor of motivation at work.

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