Indian biz leaders less stressed than last year: Thornton

NEW DELHI: Stress levels of leaders of the privately held business have decreased to an extent, but still as many as 56 per cent are burdened with the pressure to perform post slowdown, says global consultancy firm Grant Thornton.

According to a survey of 7,400 business owners in 36 countries by Grant Thornton International, 56 per cent of Indian business owners feel they are stressed compared to figures of earlier years, where 76 per cent had reported high levels of stress.

"Though the stress levels have reduced compared to the previous year, it is still high as 56 per cent business owners still feel the stress. This is mainly due to the pressure to perform post-recession," Grant Thornton India associate director for privately held business solutions Anupam Kumar said while releasing the report.

Of the 56 per cent business owners in India, whose stress levels have increased, economic crisis was the main cause of stress, followed by competitor activities and pressure on cash flow, the report said.



According to Grant Thornton, the four most stressful countries are China, where 72 per cent of privately held business owners are stressed, followed by Mexico (69 per cent), and Turkey and Vietnam (each at 63 per cent).

The least stressful are Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Australia.

The survey highlights the correlation between stress levels and the number of days taken off by an individual in a year. Stress levels are low in countries where business owners, on average, take adequate holidays each year.

Citing examples, the survey said business leaders in Vietnam take the least number of holidays and thus is rated in the top three most stressed nations. Similar is the case with China and Mexico.

At the opposite end of the scale, business owners in Northern Europe, take the maximum number of holidays and are at the bottom of the stress league table. "... those able to take more holidays are less stressed than their counterparts in countries where holidays are less frequent," Kumar said.

Indian business owners take about 11 days of holiday which is lower than the global average of 14 and are thus high on stress levels at 56 per cent.

Kumar further said "taking the time to step away from the businesses, to reflect and recharge can help owners to bring a new perspective to their decision making."