ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how stress can be experienced differently by different groups of workers within the United Kingdom. People might hypothesize that the expressions of “private troubles” in various surveys, as well as the figures for working hours, are reactions to, or symptoms of, a change in the nature of work in the United Kingdom or in the UK labor market. These changes suggest that the findings may stem from at least two sources, which may be combined in any one individual case of a “stressed worker”. Some of the most significant changes may be outlined and their impact discussed in relation to particular categories of workers. Just three such groups are selected for analysis: managers in the private sector, public sector employees, and part-time workers. The chapter has chosen these not because together they constitute a representative cross-section of UK employees but rather because they illustrate different institutional pressures at work and different experiences of stress.
