Stress prompted 42% in US to leave job: Survey

Dangerously stressful work environments force US workers to seek new employment, according to an international poll by Monster Worldwide Inc.

The poll found 42 percent of US respondents have left a job due to an overly stressful environment; workplace stress also caused an additional 35 percent to consider changing jobs.

Internationally, respondents from India are the least likely to switch jobs due to stress; 19 percent have left a job because it was too stressful and 57 percent reported that they have never switched jobs due to stress.

Workplace stress is of most concern in France and the U.K., with 48 percent of respondents from both countries noting they have changed jobs due to a stressful work environment. Further, only 11 percent of French respondents have not changed jobs due to stress.

Survey participants were asked, “Has stress from work ever driven you to a job change?” In the US, 42 percent said they have purposely changed jobs due to a stressful work environment; 35 percent said they thought about changing their job because of a stressful work; and 23 percent said they have never changed their job specifically due to a stressful work environment.

“Workplace stress can come from any part of a job and triggers are different for everyone, so finding a true solution to stress tends to require a personalized approach. While every job will come with a degree of stress it is important to act if it becomes unmanageable,” said Mary Ellen Slayter, career advice expert for Monster. Staffing Industry Analysts