Author Pearl S. Buck once said that “to find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.”
However, finding joy in the workplace has been a challenge for many employees.
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Twelve billion workdays are lost each year due to depression and anxiety alone, according to the World Health Organizationand depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion each year, primarily due to reduced productivity.
“Work can be a protective factor for mental health, but it can also contribute to worse mental health,” the organization stated on its website, maintaining that “work-related mental health conditions are preventable.”
“Much can also be done to protect and promote mental health at work and support people with mental health problems to participate fully and equitably at work,” the WHO said.
He Harvard Business Review said its research found that while mental health is not improving in the U.S., there are some new bright spots.
“Workers are demonstrating greater awareness of mental health at work and are looking beyond traditional benefits and the latest technologies,” the report says. “What they increasingly want is what research has always shown works: mentally healthier cultures.”
Mental health concerns
Mental health in the workplace is addressed in the Employee Benefits Research Institute report. Workplace Wellbeing Survey 2023which examines attitudes toward workplace benefits, as well as a spectrum of financial well-being issues, employment-based health insurance, and retirement benefits.
Although down from last year, half of workers said they were extremely or very happy with their current job, and just over half feel they are very likely to stay with their current employer for the next two years.
Another third believe they are likely to stay with their employer, according to the institute.
The survey, co-sponsored by Greenwald Research, is based on interviews with 1,505 full- and part-time U.S. workers ages 21 to 64.
A third of American workers said they are concerned about their emotional well-being or mental health, and a quarter rate their mental health as fair or poor.
Half of those surveyed said their mental health and wellbeing had a negative impact on their performance at work.
About half of workers said they often or always feel stressed, while nearly four in 10 report they often feel anxious or depressed, and about a quarter often experience feelings of loneliness.
Three in 10 American workers are very concerned about their workplace well-being, such as engagement, stress or morale, while about a quarter are not very or not at all concerned.
The study said 8 in 10 workers at least somewhat agree that their employer has a responsibility to ensure employees are mentally healthy and emotionally well, a higher percentage than is the case for physical or financial health.
Importance of corporate culture
61% believe that company culture has the greatest negative impact on overall well-being, while 22% believe it has a positive impact. The family has the greatest positive impact on general well-being.
American workers are worried about how potential economic challenges will affect their finances, the survey finds.
More than four in five American workers are at least somewhat worried that there will be a recession next year or that inflation will remain high over the next 12 months.
“What surprised us is that this is the first year that saving for retirement is not the primary financial stressor for employees,” research associate Jake Spiegel said in a statement. “Instead, we found that everyday issues, such as emergency savings and paying household bills, are a priority for workers.”
Six in ten employees do not feel financially prepared due to not being able to work or reducing work hours to provide care, and caregivers are more likely to feel unprepared.
Employees feel that the most valuable improvements to their benefits package would include greater employer financial contributions, more benefits and resources to help with their financial well-being, and more options and benefits to choose from.
Overall, 4 in 10 employees said they are very concerned about their household’s financial well-being, compared to nearly half last year. Still, the institute noted, more than half agree that worrying about finances distracts them from work.
Two-thirds said they trust their employer to help them improve their overall well-being through quality benefits and resources, and nearly 6 in 10 often feel proud of their work.
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