- SME leaders report an increase in stress and mental health concerns
- More workloads, technological tensions and lack of inactivity time are contributing
- Technological concerns such as inactivity time and data violations refer to leaders
British SME leaders are increasingly stressed and fighting with mental health concerns thanks to the increase in workloads, hours and tasks, reveals the investigation of Virgin Media 02. A shocking three quarters (76%) admits that changing commercial demands are affecting their mental health.
For most of us, vacations offer a welcome rest, the opportunity to relax and only an opportunity to disconnect from work related to work. However, for SME leaders, many do not have the opportunity, and 28% say that they cannot afford to take their free time.
Leaders can also expect insomnia nights, with a 33% sleep loss at night due to technological concerns specifically, since technology -related tensions are directly correlated with well -being for 89% of respondents.
‘Too many hats’
Almost anyone will tell you that technology can sometimes be worrying, and more than half (53%) of SME directors have dealt with technological problems that cause lost time, income impacts or significant stress only in the last month.
As expected, cybersecurity threats, as well as technical failures and data infractions are cited as stressful factors for 79% of respondents, with the time of technological inactivity that costs 37% of the money of the leaders that their business cannot pay, and 31% suffer the loss of productivity as a result.
The directors of the SME are spending an average of 10 hours per week in tasks that are outside their central experience, and 54% have to spend more time in unknown tasks than those trained, adding enormous pressure.
The report describes that SME leaders are frequently designated as the reference person for problems that “do not really know how to solve” (59%), and many cannot “disconnect”, with 96% informing electronic emails verifying the emails or solving commercial problems outside the work hours.
“The pressures on the shoulders of the SME community are huge,” says Ross Pearson, head of Small Enterprise in Virgin Media O2 Business.
“Especially as many make difficult commercial decisions are often stretched in many different areas. SME leaders have always been known for” using multiple hats, “but in the current commercial landscape, the term has a new meaning. The latest data of the business of Virgin Media O2 reveal the number of additional responsibilities, with the necessary action to support the well -being of leaders and mental health.”
