Three out four accountants said they felt stressed returning to work after the festive period, according to a poll from caba, the chartered accountants’ benevolent association.
It doesn’t help that 74% of those surveyed said they feel more stressed in January than in any other month of the year!
The survey of UK accountants found end-of-year related workload (37%), post-holiday backlog (32%), personal financial strain (29%), and seasonal factors such as reduced daylight hours (34%) and bad weather (33%) are amongst some of the biggest stressors at this time of year. For32% this ofte culminates in feelings of burnout in January – but 41% believe this has become a normalised part of the profession’s culture.
Continuing its ‘Behind the Profession’ campaign, which shines a light on the pressures accountants face, caba wants to encourage those who are facing seasonal pressures – whether related to physical or mental health, or personal finances – to seek support. Last December – January period, the charity recorded a 14% rise in enquiries, with 27% related to health issues (mental or physical) and 23% related to financial issues. However, 49% of those surveyed say they would feel reluctant to seek help for physical issues, 63% for mental health and 68% for personal finance, with 39% saying they’d worry it could be perceived as a sign of weakness by peers or colleagues and 27% fearing it could harm their career prospects.
- Support from caba is free to ICAEW students, members and their close families, and given in the strictest confidence. Call 01788 556366, email enquiries@caba.org.uk or visit https://www.caba.org.uk/with-you.html to find out more about how caba could support you.
