Beating stress and depression in the workplace

Workers who are expected to ‘put on a show’ at work seem to be most at risk of depression, according to a research paper titled ‘Prevalence rates for depression by industry: a claims database analysis’.

The researchers found that there is an impact on wellbeing as a result of daily emotional labour which is defined as “the effort, planning and control to express organizationally desired emotion during interpersonal transactions”.

For example, social workers, who are expected to be compassionate during all their activities, were found to have high rates of depression.

So too were estate agents who are required to be upbeat and positive, and retail staff who must always be helpful and friendly.