Stressed at work? Join the club

Keep calm and carry on.

That well-known mantra appears impossible to achieve for most folks when on the job. In a new survey from staffing agency Accountemps, 52 percent of U.S. workers said they are stressed at work on a day-to-day basis. Sixty percent reported work-related pressure has spiked over the last five years.

"Heavy workloads and looming deadlines was the biggest cause of stress," said Ryan Gatto, regional vice president in Saddle Brook.

Other work stressors cited by employees include attaining a work-life balance and unrealistic expectations of managers.

And this anxiety is not lost on executives. In the survey, 54 percent of CFOs admitted their teams are stressed.

Younger workers are feeling pressure more than any other age groups, the survey finds. Sixty-four percent of professionals aged 18 to 34 said they're stressed on the job, compared to 59 percent of workers in the 35-to-54 range and only 35 percent of those aged 55 and older.

"I think as you become more stable and consistent in a role or in an industry, you become more and more confident and comfortable with those responsibilities," Gatto said.

To help combat these negative feelings, Accountemps encourages workers to "protect their time." Rather than juggling a couple tasks at once, schedule periods throughout the day to focus on key assignments.

The company also said those who are overwhelmed can step away from their desk every once in a while, perhaps to take a walk or perform some other non-work related activity.

And if the workload proves to be too much to handle, it's not out of the question to speak up and ask for help.

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Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.