Young people can't cope with pace of modern life

Nearly half of childless people under 30 years old struggle to cope with the pace of modern life and feel crushed by their excessive workloads, according to research.

Nearly half of childless people under 30 years old struggle to cope with the pace of modern life and feel crushed by their excessive workloads, according to research.

A report, published today by an independent research organisation, shows that the problems of balancing work and home life do not affect only older people with families. One-fifth of the people under 30 say no matter what they do they can never manage to get on top of things, and one-third admit they do not give of their best at work.

The study of 400 employees aged 16 and over shows that younger people are far more likely to seek professional advice in times of difficulty, with half saying they would turn to an expert to help them sort out a problem. Nearly half say problems at home affect their concentration at work.

Overall 60 per cent of employees say they feel stressed at work, with a heavy workload being the biggest single cause, blamed by 34 per cent.

"Over two in five employees admit that problems at home affect their work. The danger is that they may then find themselves caught up in a vicious cycle where difficulties at home lead to a diminished performance at work, which in turn causes problems at home," says Penny de Valk of Ceridian Performance Partners, who conducted the research.

One-fifth of all those interviewed say they do not have enough time to enjoy anything. Men are marginally more happy with their lot than women on a personal level but both sexes share the same view about work.