The Real Blues

Socialism Or Your Money Back blog has been posting recently on the detrimental effects of work under capitalism and note that it is being condemned by the fruits its own research and not by socialists.

In a study by the mental health charity Mind, employees were questioned about their levels of anxiety and more than 26% said they felt dread and apprehension the day before they were due to go back to work after a day or weekend off.Nearly 20% of the 2,050 workers surveyed have phoned in sick to avoid work because of unmanageable stress levels, yet almost everyone lied about why they felt ill. Over-stressed workers are much more likely to blame a stomach bug or a headache than admit they are not coping with long hours, excessive work loads or bullying.

Other findings include effects on people's sleep patterns, high rates of illness and reports of extensive low morale. High rates of unpaid overtime were recorded, and almost all the people questioned were unhappy with their work-life balances. Tough times in the workplace, where people are living with the constant fear of redundancy and often taking on extra duties because of a recession-reduced workforce and companies downsizing, could mean years of uncertainty for workers.The numbers of people reporting having left a job due to stress rose from 6% in 2004 to 8% in 2009. Redundancy can come as a relief. 70 million working days are lost every year to mental illness. At any one time an estimated eight million people of working age experience common mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, sleep problems or alcohol dependence. Health and Safety Executive research shows stress and mental illness is responsible for more than half of all working days lost every year.

Mind's chief executive, Paul Farmer, said: "Considering how much time we spend at work, it is hardly surprising it can have a huge impact on our mental wellbeing. Working conditions have been incredibly tough and the emotional fallout of the recession doesn't just centre on people who have lost their jobs, but on people who are struggling to cope with the extra demands of working harder, longer hours and under more pressure as their employers battle for survival." [SOYMB would suggest it is the employees not the employers who are the real ones battling for survival]

Having highlighted the problem what is Mind's strategy - Mind is asking all employees to "reclaim their lunch hour" ! Such a shame that those who provide the evidence cannot convict the system.