April is Stress Awareness month and, for many of us, our work is the most demanding
part of our lives. We’ve identified the 7 most – and least – stressful jobs, and reveal how
you can measure your job’s impact on your heart.
April is Stress Awareness Month, but what happens if you are stressed 9 till 5? Some careers are
intrinsically more stressful than others, but they are not always the jobs you might expect. Chronic
long-term stress can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of a heart attack and stroke.
Some jobs are inherently stressful, but for many people it’s how they deal with potentially difficult situations
that is most important.
London Medical Laboratory’s latest research looked at what people told us about their work-related stress
levels. Using data from our Heart Health Profile blood test, their feedback was then combined with the
incidence of heart problems and mental health research in different professions. The results are very
revealing and, in some cases, quite surprising. (This list excludes roles in the armed services and
emergency services.)
Most stressful
1. Welfare professionals
obs such as social work can be a rewarding vocation, but also have
their downsides, including high levels of bureaucracy and having to
make difficult decisions about complex situations
2. Customer services
Whether they are public facing or on the phone, customer service
workers report high levels of stress, stemming from the nature of the
work and the pressure to achieve targets.
3. Legal professionals
Lawyers face lengthy training, demanding work and irregular hours.
They have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession
4. Teachers
The reality of teaching can be very different from what people entering
the profession envisaged. Preparation time, dealing with parents and
pressure to boost students’ grades cause many to ‘burn out’.
5. Librarians
A surprising result, but being a librarian is a very public facing role which
is significantly under-resourced. 1 in 3 librarians reported acute
workplace stress and absences.
6. Recruitment consultants
Finding people these stressful jobs is stressful in itself! Recruitment is
another public facing, initially poorly paid, job with strict targets.
7. GPs and health professionals
The demanding nature of the job, level of responsibility and long hours
mean, globally, doctors have the highest suicide rate of all professionals.
The immense and difficult work our healthcare workers provided during
the pandemic has highlighted the highly stressful nature of this work.
Least stressful
1. Hair stylists
Even though it’s a customer facing role, and not every customer will like their cut, hair stylists reported the
lowest level of stress of any job.
2. Dental technicians
Another customer facing, relatively low-paid role, but few dental technicians reported work-related anxiety.
3. Jewellers
Whether serving the public or mending items, jewellers seem to be happy with their jobs.
4. Systems software designers
Considering the deadline-driven world of hi-tech, we were surprised so few software designers, and IT
workers in general, reported symptoms of stress.
5. Landscapers
An outdoor lifestyle seems to really suit some people.
6. Bloggers
The competitive, results-driven world of blogging would seem to be a hectic career. Bloggers, however,
love working from home and are generally their own boss.
7. HR Managers
Dealing with the impact of Covid on workplaces and economic downturns, you might think HR is a very
stressful job. But HR managers reported low levels of work-related stress and tested lower for heartrelated problems than most other professionals.
It’s often how a person deals with stress, as much as the work itself, that is important.
Stress can impact on the heart because of the ways we try to cope with it. Smoking,
overeating and lack of physical activity can all increase our risk of cardiovascular
disease.
London Medical Laboratory’s Heart Health Profile blood test kit will reveal cholesterol
levels, and check for diabetes and inflammation. It will also measure biomarkers such as
triglyceride, a body fat particularly associated with heart disease, and inflammation
related C-reactive protein (CRP). A high level of CRP in the blood has been linked to an
increased risk of heart attacks.
Early diagnosis and regular monitoring can help you make the positive lifestyle and
dietary changes needed to improve your chances of a long and healthy life – whatever
your job.
