More days off work: Trapped: We cause ourselves the most stress

There are people who are proud of pushing themselves to their limits or even beyond in order to do everything as perfectly as possible. They are under enormous pressure. But they suffer less from the working conditions at work, the sheer amount of work or arguments with the boss, but from the high demands they place on themselves – the commercial health insurance company KKH calls this the “perfectionism trap”.

According to a new Forsa survey commissioned by the health insurance company, 43 percent of working people often feel under massive pressure – one in seven even very often, according to the KKH in Hanover. A further 43 percent occasionally feel stressed at work. The reasons for this are clear: around two thirds (65 percent) of those surveyed feel pressured by their own expectations to do their job as well as possible. At the same time, according to data from KKH policyholders, the number of days off work due to stress-related mental illnesses is increasing nationwide.

Perfectionism and time pressure are the biggest stress drivers

For the study, the opinion research institute Forsa conducted a representative survey of 1,001 working people aged 18 to 70 across Germany from July 1 to 8 on behalf of the KKH. The health insurance company is one of the largest nationwide funds with around 1.6 million insured people.

According to the survey, time pressure in everyday work (62 percent) is almost as big a stress driver as one’s own perfectionism – which is significantly higher than the expectations of others (40 percent). Around a third of working people feel stressed by too many overtime hours (36 percent) or too high performance requirements (32 percent). Difficulties in balancing work and private life (27) or a salary that is too low (23) affect around one in four. Bad mood in the team and bullying (21) or control by superiors (19) also cause stress.

More days off work due to stress-related mental health problems

“Our survey shows that stress is perceived very individually and is strongly influenced by one’s own attitude,” said KKH occupational psychologist Antje Judick. First of all, this is good news because it is something that can be worked on. In a performance-oriented society, stress is often seen as a status symbol and perfectionism as a sign of performance. Constant accessibility, for example via smartphone, and blurred boundaries between work and private life have “now become a matter of course.”

According to the survey, a good one in four working people (28 percent) have already missed work due to the pressure and stress of their working life. Nationwide data on the incapacity to work of KKH insured persons also show that the number of days off due to stress-related psychological problems is increasing – including acute stress reactions and adjustment disorders: In the first half of 2024, there were 109 days off for every 100 KKH ​​customers insured all year round – compared to 105 in the same period last year. In 2019, there were only 75 days off per 100 employed persons.

Number of days absent due to burnout increases

In the five-year comparison, the health insurance company registered an increase in depressive episodes from 89 to 102 days per 100 insured persons. Burnout – usually diagnosed as a syndrome at the onset of a stress-related illness or in the course of other mental illnesses – was 11 days per 100 employed persons last year and 10 days in the first half of 2024. In 2019, it was 8 days. So-called burnout is considered a gradual process, and those who do not counteract it set off a downward spiral, according to the insurance company.

After all, according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, overtime is part of everyday working life for only a minority of employees in Germany. Around one in eight people worked more than stipulated in their employment contract last year. Extrapolated, 4.6 million people did overtime, the Federal Office reported, citing responses from the microcensus. This corresponds to 12 percent of the almost 39.3 million employees.

Another stress factor: fear of war and crises

For 40 percent of people who do overtime, this is done in a maximum of five hours per week. However, almost a fifth (19 percent) reported more than 15 hours of overtime per week. And around 20 percent, or more than 900,000 people, said they did unpaid overtime.

Another stress factor for the majority of the population in Germany: fear of war and crises. As Swiss Life Insurance announced in March following a Yougov survey, these fears come before personal issues such as financial worries or illness. The increase in natural disasters in recent years is also causing concern among a considerable portion of the population – and the fear of disasters causes stress.

Women struggle more with stress

According to the Forsa survey commissioned by KKH, working women are particularly struggling with stress – 20 percent of the women surveyed said they felt stressed very often, compared to 11 percent of men. Work psychologist Judick explained that the expectation of excelling in both the role of mother and in their career puts many women under immense pressure.

The Greens therefore demanded the right to work from home. “Working from home is particularly important for women in order to be able to balance family and work,” said Green labor market politician Beate Müller-Gemmeke to the “Tagesspiegel”. The coalition agreement stipulates that employees should have the right to work from home in the future. This goal has not yet been implemented.

Mental illnesses at their highest level yet in 2023

According to the health insurance company, the number of days off work due to mental illness has increased significantly since 2017 – and reached its highest level to date last year: While at the beginning of the corresponding evaluation in 2017 there were 298 sick days per 100 employees insured all year round, this figure has now risen to 388 days.