Self-employed workers are the least stressed, according to research

People who work for themselves are less stressed and have better wellbeing than those who work for someone else, according to research from AXA Business Insurance.

The company’s annual Stress Index showed that whilst 78 per cent of people who are self-employed have experienced some stress, this is still lower than those in employment, with nine in ten people who work for someone else describing themselves as stressed.

Chronic  

The research also found that self-employed people are less likely to be stressed with their work life. Just 42 per cent of self-employed workers said that their work life made them stressed, compared to 61 per cent of those working for a company.

Self-employed people also experience lower levels of stress as a result of being able to avoid the challenges that working for a company can bring, with those who work for themselves being three times less likely to say that they deal with difficult people as part of their daily job.

Whilst self-employed workers can experience some stress, it is not as likely to become chronic, with just 2 per cent being stressed all the time compared to 11 per cent of those who work for someone else.

Long

The research also showed that those who work for themselves are less likely to work overly long hours than those working for a company. Just 22 per cent of self-employed people work long hours –  half the amount of those who work for someone else. However, those who own a business are always on call, with two-thirds saying that they always take calls and emails from their customers outside of normal working hours.