If the mere thought of another busy day at the office zaps your energy then all you need is a dog, a nap and phone switched to silent.

Studies from around the world have yielded a set of six tips for lowering stress at work, with advice ranging from grabbing 40 winks at your desk to taking your pet to work.

The first tip highlighted by New Scientist magazine is that workers should be sociable - but not too sociable.

British research has shown that sociability is good for the health, with a study of thousands of civil servants revealing that moral support from colleagues, encouragement from supervisors and clear direction from bosses kept stress levels down.

Male civil servants who lacked support in the workplace were 31 percent more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, and women 43 percent.

However, too much socializing could lead to work piling up.

Research from the University of California shows that a quarter of the working day is lost to interruptions, with emails, phone calls and text messages leading to use taking our eye off the task in hand every three minutes.

Half of all interruptions are self-generated and a quarter of tasks are put off to the next working day - sending stress levels soaring.

The second tip is to ensure your surroundings are as pleasant as possible.

Simply being able to see your colleagues makes the working day much more manageable, with the height of partitions dividing up open plan office space affecting stress levels.

Surprisingly, the higher the partition is, the more people complain about noise from their neighbors.

Research from the University of Montreal shows that the optimum partition height is 4ft 3ins (1.3m) - high enough to provide privacy but low enough to ensure staff do not feel isolated.

Outlining its Six Steps for a Stress-Free Career, New Scientist magazine says: "The angst begins before you even get to work. You can picture your workspace: narrow, cluttered and far too close to a loud-mouthed colleague.

"Then there's the overactive air con - your uncomfortable chair is right in its line of fire - and that's not to mention the lack of natural light and privacy.

"Although it is oh-so-clear what your employer needs from you, few bosses have considered what kind of place you need from them.

"Work related stress may be a hot topic these days, but little attention is paid to the importance of the physical working environment."

Tip number three for a stress-free working life is to trample on less ambitious colleagues, with studies showing that those who remain at the bottom of the career ladder are most likely to die young.

The fourth piece of advice for workers is to learn to switch off.

Mobile phones, Blackberries and other omnipresent pieces of electronic equipment should be switched off after hours to allow burnt-out brain cells to recharge.

Playing with a cat or dog can also aid relaxation and if workers can persuade their boss to let them into the office then the day will fly by.

Those who are banned from taking their pet in might find it easier to snatch 40 winks at the desk - a pastime that can ease stress and boost productivity.

(China Daily February 12, 2007)