Legal & General is advising workers to take a short break, at least every three hours, ahead of this Wednesday's 'National Stress Awareness' day.

According to research by the financial services company, almost a quarter of full-time workers say they are generally stressed at work. A further 20% say they work too many extra hours, whilst almost one in four of full-time British workers never take a break during work and 7% do not even take a holiday.

Vanessa Sallows, underwriting and benefits director for Legal & General's group protection business, said: "Making the effort to take a short break, at least every three hours, whether that is going for a short walk, sitting down to eat a balanced meal or relaxing over a magazine, can have huge benefits to a worker's health and wellbeing. As well as reducing stress, it may also help people to improve their work-life balance."

The research is part of an ongoing study of Britons' health worries and perceptions, which questioned over 2,000 people, including 942 full-time workers, about health anxieties they had during the last three months.