And the most stressful job in the UK is...

...a librarian.

Apparently, being a librarian induces more stress than working for the emergency services, driving a 125mph express, or teaching a class of ill-behaved children. The reasons offered...

Librarians complained that there was not enough variety in their work, that they did not have enough control over their careers, and they were not allowed to put their skills to full use. The lack of job satisfaction meant they were more likely than other professions to be absent from work, or to vent their frustration on their families when they got home.

It seems that the main source of stress, in this example, is about a lack of control over the working environment. My concern would be the extent to which workers are given the impression they are in control when in reality they're not.

See Stress? Shhhhh . . . by Alan Hamilton of The Times for more details.

1 comment:

KH said...

Stress in Librarians? No wonder they work on the genteel word of Dewey Decimal Book Arranging if they are that out of touch with reality.

I think these people have to put their life under the microscope. What on earth were they expecting out of sorting books all day? And rememebr they go to Uni to get qualifications to become a Librarian! 3 years of "This is what being a librarian is all about"

I expect the perks of being local government employees wears off after a while. Getting paid more than the average soldier and sit in a warm public building, with the ever present threat of a withering look when levying fines for late returns, must be terrible.