One in five workers in Scotland losing sleep over money worries, report finds

One in five workers in Scotland have reported losing sleep over financial woes, according to a new survey.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report also found 58% of workers were going to work despite being unwell, with disabled employees more likely to do so. It is the highest percentage to do so since 2020.

Meanwhile, the survey of 1,000 workers found only 49% of employees were keeping up with their bills without difficulty while 32% said employers were not doing enough to support financial wellbeing.

The CIPD has made three key recommendations to the Scottish Government following its findings, including placing a renewed policy focus on improving job quality, narrowing the gap between quality of working life to key and non-key workers, and strengthening flexible working access.

It comes as 37% of key workers, such as those working in the health sector, said their workload was “too much”, compared to 29% of their counterparts in non-key roles.

Marek Zemanik, senior public policy adviser for CIPD Scotland, said: “The cost of living crisis continues to cast a shadow over the working lives of people across Scotland.

“We have seen a considerable worsening of employees’ financial wellbeing year on year, with real impacts on their daily lives. Better pay is important, but there are many other steps employers can take to improve their employees’ lives.

“Focusing on job quality is key – through improved benefits packages and job design, better skills development and career advancement pathways, effective two-way communication and broader flexibility. Getting all these aspects right can make work fairer.

“Overall job quality has barely been impacted by the pandemic. But that means serious gaps persist.

“All jobs have the potential to be better but employers and governments need to know what to address. Our report helps them in this task.”

The report also suggests practical recommendations for employers to improve job quality, including training managers to be able to signpost the appropriate financial wellbeing support, boost career pathways and identifying skill mismatches to develop staff.