The latest research by workspace provider Regus has revealed that half the Indian employees are stressed due to their professions.

Canvassing the opinions of more than 16,000 professionals, the survey found that 51 per cent of Indian respondents say their stress levels rose over the past year due to work pressure, and 50 per cent of them blamed it on personal finances. The research also focused on possible solutions and found that nearly 72 per cent of the Indian respondents believes flexible work options could reduce stress.

The report also that the commute to work and instability in the world economy fuelled their growing pressure. Respondents confirmed that most stress triggers were professional in nature.Key-findings of the reports suggest that work (51%) and personal finances (50%) are main causes of stress, combined with customer/client pressure (41%). Small business workers are more likely to be stressed by customers (45%) than large business workers (34%).

Nearly 72% of the respondents said flexible working reduced stress and more than half (56%) think flexible working is about being more family-friendly. Around 49% of them said that is is also cheaper than working at a fixed location and 81% said that it improved productivity.

In addition to this, they also reported that flexibility helped improve their overall work-life balance and well-being. This is particularly relevant in India where women are said to find it difficult to balance their role as a homemaker along with the pressures of work.

Regional vice president (South Asia) of Regus, Madhusudan Thaku, said, “There is no doubt that stressed-out workers are unhappy and unhealthy. So businesses that want to help their staff lead more rewarding lives must analyse and tackle levels of stress within their organisation.”