Breaking down the numbers on mental health in 2022
Mental health has long been a taboo topic, not just in the workplace but across entire communities and countries. Thankfully, mental health is coming to the forefront of more seminars, conversations and curriculum, especially in light of the events of the past few years. From civil conflict driving difficult conversations and deep seated emotions, to an extended pandemic that tested work life balance and companies ability to keep their employees connected, there has probably never been a time where more of the workforce was thinking about the importance of mental health at work. However, there is still a long way to go before the workplace (on average) becomes a place that provides psychological safety and consistent support on mental health issues.
May is Mental Health Awareness month, and you can expect our next several posts to take some deep dives but to set the stage, let’s take a look at the state of mental health in the U.S. workforce today and why we believe companies should take a proactive approach to protecting the mental health of their most valuable resource: their people.
Stress
- Stress was up 8% from last year with 57% of U.S. Workers feeling stress in the [1]workplace DAILY
- A third of U.S. workers would describe their level of stress from work as high to unusually high
- 16% of employees have quit a job due to their stress level
- Five hundred and fifty million workdays are lost due to productivity drops from stress
- 1 million workers absent daily in the U.S. due to stress [2]
Depression
- The pandemic was cited as driving depression for 29% of employees
- More than 70% of employees were concerned with their level of depression over the course of 2020
- Only 40% of employees with severe depression symptoms actively received treatment
- Physical tasks suffer 20% efficiency loss due to depression and it interferes with cognitive tasks 35% of the time
Attrition
- 50% of millennials and 75% of Gen Z employees have left jobs for mental health reasons
- 80% of employees say they would quit a job if it was seriously impacting their mental health
- Those with diagnosed mental health issues are less likely to remain in employment than those without [3]
- 40% of turnover cites stress as a primary factor [4]
Support?
- 53% of employers have added some kind of mental health programs to address the post-pandemic concerns
- 73% of employees want their company to drive positive mental health in the workplace but 63% think that their company isn’t helpful.
- 67% of employees with a mental illness think it is challenging to access care.
- When employees are enrolled in a company wellness program they are 70% more likely to have high job satisfaction.
The numbers still don’t look great as we head into Mental Health Awareness month. To put it simply, most workplaces still have a ways to go to create a culture that supports those with existing mental health issues, and creates a safe space and prevents inducing as much stress and depression as possible. Healthy, safe, empowered employees drive the changes in business outcomes many leaders are desperate for. Stay tuned for deep dives into stress and mental health support in the workplace and if you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out we would love to chat.
Just head to www.ledgestone.com/contact
[1] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
[2] https://www.stress.org/workplace-stress
[3] Barnay, Thomas,Defebvre, Éric. 2016/10/01The influence of mental health on job retention
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