Ever get the feeling you are the only bugger at work? Well, it seems we are right to feel aggrieved, with new data from the Health & Safety Executive revealing that an estimated 1.7 million workers are currently suffering from an illness they believe has been caused, or at least significantly worsened, by their job.
The report, a thrilling read undoubtedly enjoyed by health and safety enthusiasts nationwide, highlights the sheer scale of the problem. Forget “stiff upper lip”; the new national motto appears to be “stiff everywhere”.
Nearly half of the 1.7 million “sick notes” – 776,000 workers – are battling work-related stress, depression, or anxiety, a figure that suggests the average workplace is even worse than McKelvey’s front room.
It seems most offices are less a hub of productivity and more like your average episode of Ambulance or 24 Hours in A&E only without the rectal foreign body removals.
Not to be outdone, a further 543,000 individuals are grappling with musculoskeletal disorders. This covers everything from the classic “desk rubberneck” from stretching their necks from behind their screens to look for a decent bit of gossip to “fatty lazy arse” from sitting down all day stuffing Chocolate Hobnobs and crisps.
Mind you, it seems these are popular conditions, losing the UK 7.8 million days in downtime. And, while the HSE is no doubt desperate to protect the Great British office worker, the cost of all this skiving is estimated at a cool £21.6bn a year – that is nearly as much as this august journal attracts in annual advertising revenue.
So, think on you 1.7 million. As you ice your wrist, pop an ibuprofen for that stress-induced headache, or simply try to remember what a non-anxious state feels like, know that some of us have no choice but to keep the economy going.
And, the truth is, I am actually sick with jealousy as we don’t get sick pay here…
Ad well, a girl can dream.
Foxy has ditched X but is still on Instagram, just don’t get too excited as she’s never there
