Seven out of 10 workers say they are stressed

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - A new survey says seven out of 10 workers are stressed.  From annoying coworkers to commuting, the Everest College survey found there are many things that stress out three quarters of American workers.

Close to 900 employees were interviewed and 73% of them said they are stressed by at least one thing at work. “Absolutely, I think with any jobs these days, overworked, underpaid, that's kind of the base line for things,” said Jennifer Lawrence, who works as a social worker in Boston and found the results easy to believe. 

Among the top stressors were low pay and an unreasonable workload.  Amanda Turk is a licensed massage therapist at the Backstop in Northampton and says many of her clients stop in during their lunch breaks or after work.

“Neck and shoulder tension and then low back, you know usually from sitting at a desk and staring at a computer. Neck, upper back and shoulder [tension] is probably the most common,” said Turk of how work-related stress manifests on the human body.

Lead researchers behind the study say anxiety at the workplace cost employers billions as workers are less productive. And it's that workplace stress that's keeping Winslow Renderer, a recent UMass graduate, away from the office. Soon after receiving his bachelor’s in economics, he got a job as a cook at a pizza shop.

“It won't be stressful to have a low-paying job, you know it's easy to be a cook,” said Renderer of Amherst. 

26% of respondents said nothing stresses them out about their job, the majority of them had a household income of more than $100,000.