New Year Brings New Stress for Workers

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — You might think the start of a new year would inspire Americans to turn over a new leaf, but a recent survey found that the majority of Americans bring old woes back into the office following their holiday break.

According to the survey from consulting firm Workplace Options, 64% of employees said they traditionally felt stressed about their finances following the holiday shopping season, while 3% said they felt guilty about abandoning work responsibilities to take personal time off during the holidays. Participants also admitted to being worried about weight gain and other overall health concerns following the festivities.

The survey was conducted via interviews with 450 employees nationwide.

"Financial and personal health worries usually top the list of regular January stressors, and employers who have programs and tools in place to help employees cope with these worries will generally be better positioned to kick off the year with a more focused workforce," Dean Debnam, CEO of Workplace Options, said in a press release.

What else can you do to prevent a holiday hangover from affecting your job performance? Check out this MainStreet article for 10 ways to cut office stress.

—Jeanine Skowronski is staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach her by email at Skowronski.jeanine@thestreet.com, or follow her on Twitter at @JeanineSko.