Thirty-eight percent of workers are at high risk of poor mental health, according to a new study across six European countries. But what can organizations do to address this?
There are many reasons to feel gloomy, including inflation, the cost of living crisis, and the overall geopolitical situation. But it seems like it's when we're working that we feel most anxious about our future.
A new study by healthcare services and technology provider Telus Health finds that the mental health of people in six European countries is increasingly at risk.
Overall, the mental health of workers in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain will be lower by October 2023 compared to April, with 38% of workers at high risk of poor mental health. replied.
Meanwhile, the Mental Health Index (MHI) scores of France and Poland improved slightly over the same six-month period, although Poland continues to have the lowest score of 55.5.
“Other data suggests that this may be an effect of increased susceptibility to stress post-pandemic. With this increased susceptibility, stressors are more likely to have a greater negative emotional impact. Paula Allen, global leader and senior vice president of research and total well-being at Telus Health, told Euronews Next.
According to the study results, 35% of respondents said they are more sensitive to stress than they were before the coronavirus pandemic.
“It also makes people more angry, more cynical, and more prone to conflict, which means people are creating more stressors for each other,” Allen added.
When it comes to mental health-related symptoms, 17% of workers report having been diagnosed with anxiety, the most commonly diagnosed condition among workers in Europe, while 12% have been diagnosed with depression. It is reported that this has happened.
The study also found that employees under the age of 40 were twice as likely to disclose symptoms of diagnosed and undiagnosed anxiety and depression compared to those over 50.
Additionally, this younger demographic is twice as likely to use health benefits for psychological services and values psychological benefits more highly.
Gender also played a role in the fact that women's mental health scores were 5 points lower than men's in this study.
Allen explained this through persistent gender disparities and different social expectations when it comes to caregiving and housework.
poland is the worst country
Poland remains the worst of the six countries surveyed, improving by 0.5 points from April but still nearly six points below Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' overall score of 61.1.
Of those surveyed, 51% of workers in Eastern European countries said they felt anxious (same as Spain) and 43% said they were depressed, the highest of the six countries. Ta.
Poland was also one of the countries with the highest proportion of people who said they were not optimistic about the future (23%), second only to Italy at 29%.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands had Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' highest score of 69.0, nearly eight points higher than the overall score.
Of those surveyed, 28% said they felt anxious and 18% felt depressed, the lowest numbers in each category in the six-country survey.
The most notable statistic in the Netherlands was that 29% of workers believe their mental health has a negative impact on their productivity.
advertisementFinancial security that leads to improved mental health
Unsurprisingly, a worker's financial situation correlates with their mental health, with those earning less than €10,000 a year scoring the worst in terms of mental health.
Similarly, workers without emergency savings had significantly lower MHI scores (41) than the group as a whole (61), according to the study results.
Additionally, in the past two surveys, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and employees of small businesses (less than 50 employees) had the worst scores.
Financial security is one of the factors that explains the Netherlands' high score.
“Typically, in the Netherlands, the numbers at the top and bottom of many measures related to quality of life are small, but the average values are high,” Allen said.
advertisementWhat can you do?
Businesses are also affected by the deterioration of the mental health of their employees. According to Telus Health, people affected by work-related stress are less productive for 60 days or more.
In March, the British Psychological Society went so far as to call work-related stress “stress”. “Modern infectious diseases” Due to the high number of cases of burnout syndrome.
“This is important for all business requirements, but increasingly for requirements such as innovation, collaborative problem solving, and customer service. It's also important for retention and company reputation,” Allen said. Ta.
More than half (51%) of office workers surveyed said they support a traditional five-day work week and the flexibility to work remotely whenever they wish.
Meanwhile, 49% said they would choose to work an intensive four-day work week within an office environment, according to data from Telus Health.
advertisementThe American Psychiatric Association offers various suggestions. Tips for organizations to deal with workplace stress.
Companies can also provide support through employee assistance programs (EAPs) and workplace psychological safety, Allen concluded.
