The Bank Workers Charity (BWC) published research with business psychologists Robertson Cooper that suggests psychological and physical ill-health is taking its toll on the sector.
??A survey of 5000 bank workers revealed 60% regularly experience poor sleep, 47% had troubling thoughts about the future, and 40% were concerned about financial security.
?Cary Cooper, Robertson Cooper co-founder and professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University, urged banks to take a holistic approach to health and wellbeing and address issues outside the workplace as well as in-house.??
“The combination of work and non-worker pressures is severely challenging many employees in the banking sector,” he said.
“Some banks are starting to address work stresses, but often it’s the additional personal demands that are compounding the problem and significantly affecting work performance.” ??
Other findings of the report included that 3% of workers fall into the ‘sandwich generation’ category of caring for an elderly relative at the same time as having childcare responsibilities.??
Barclays group chief executive Antony Jenkins made similar comments during a World Economic Forum event at Davos yesterday.??
He warned that the sector needed to be reformed to avoid another financial crisis in five year’s time, when those currently working in banking had moved on.
