Nearly half of the UK workforce (45%) say their work is suffering as a result of poor mental health and stress, according to the ADP® Research Institute’s People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View.
This rises to five in 10 (53%) of the 18–24-year-old cohort and 52 percent of 25-34-year-olds, compared to two in 10 (26%) of the 55+ age, the survey of almost 1,400 workers in the UK found.
The findings come as studies indicate that, in addition to the anxiety induced by health fears and the uncertainty and disruption caused by lockdowns, COVID-19 infection itself can increase the risk of mental health problems developing, and mental health services have been interrupted in many countries.
According to the charity Mind, a third of adults and young people say their mental health has gotten much worse since March 2020.
What are the causes of stress?
The frequent stress that many workers around the world were already feeling appears to have been exacerbated since the pandemic, with 14 percent of the UK workers say they experience stress at work at least once a week, and 19 percent feel stressed every day.
The most common cause of stress is having increased responsibility as a result of the pandemic, with 32 percent of workers saying so.
Other key sources of stress include the length of the working day (for 27%), problems with technology (23%) and concerns over job security (22%)
The pandemic has also impacted in other ways, for instance, 8 percent UK workers said being asked if they are vaccinated is a cause of stress, while 7 percent of stress comes from having to share a workspace with someone they live with.
What can managers do?
Six in 10 workers (64%) feel supported by their managers when it comes to mental health at work, and similarly, the same percentage (64%) feel supported by their colleagues.
Most employers (78%) are being proactive about finding new ways to support the mental health of their workforce.
Chief among the initiatives being tried are: checking in or communicating with employees more (31% of workers say their employers are doing so), allowing wellbeing days off (21%), and providing stress management breaks such as access to a zen room, wellbeing activities, or meditation classes, or letting staff take additional breaks during the day (19%).
Nearly a quarter (17%) say their employers are offering access to special counselling, while (20%) are granting the right to disconnect from messages after working hours.
Sirsha Haldar, General Manager, ADP UK, Ireland & South Africa, comments: “It’s encouraging to see so many employers being creative about how to ease the burden of mental health issues and stress among their staff. However, unless the causes are identified wherever possible and dealt with, the impact of all these well-intentioned schemes could be undermined.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
