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Follow-up studies made rare comparisons of mental health in the workplace before and after the pandemic and highlighted the increased risks faced by employers
San Francisco–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mind Share Partners, a national non-profit organization that is changing the culture of mental health in the workplace, launched “Mind Share Partners, Qualtrics and ServiceNow’s 2021 work mental health report”—A study exploring mental health, stigma, and work culture in the American workplace. This year’s study, sponsored by ServiceNow and Morrison & Foerster, is a follow-up study of the 2019 Mental Health at Work Report.
Read more about the survey results in our Harvard Business Review article.
The study shows that mental health challenges affect most workers at all levels in the United States for a long time. 76% of full-time U.S. employees reported experiencing at least one symptom of a mental health condition in the past year (a 29% increase from 2019), and 80% of study respondents reported that their symptoms have accumulated for a month or more Over time, 36% reported symptoms lasting from five months to a full year. Compared with managers and individual contributors, executives and C-level employees are more likely to report at least one mental health symptom.
With more and more conversations surrounding the “great resignation”, employers’ loss of talent due to unsupported mental health challenges is clearly associated. The study found that, at least partly due to mental health reasons, 50% of respondents left their previous positions at the company, compared with 34% in 2019. This number of Gen Z and Millennial respondents increased to 81% and 68%, respectively.
“Before the pandemic, American employers were just beginning to recognize the prevalence and impact of mental health challenges at work, the need to address stigma, and the emerging connection with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI),” Kelly said. Greenwood, founder and CEO of Mind Share Partners.
“The stakes have increased. Companies must move from treating mental health as a personal responsibility to a collective priority. The future of mental health in the workplace requires cultural change. Everyone in the organization plays a unique role in creating a mentally healthy workplace. Leadership paved the way for this. We can’t restore “business as usual”. Now is the time to consciously imagine what work might be — more vulnerability, compassion, and sustainable ways of working,” Greenwood Say.
Other key findings include:
Workplace factors have a significant impact on mental health.
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84% of study respondents reported that in the past year, at least one workplace factor had a negative impact on their mental health-the most common was emotional work (37%).
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The employer’s return to the office plan has a negative impact on mental health. The most common methods are the post-pandemic policies around face-to-face and remote work (41%) and the lack of policy-based work-life balance or flexibility (37%).
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The study found that employees who were supported by employers in terms of pandemics, racial injustice, return to the office plan, and/or overall mental health had better mental health and engagement levels overall.
Employees talk more about mental health, but their comfort and experience with these conversations are still uneven.
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Two-thirds (65%) of study respondents reported that they had discussed their mental health with someone at work in the past year—a 63% increase from 40% in 2019.
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41% of study respondents feel comfortable talking to their colleagues about their mental health-46% more than in 2019 (28%); 40% feel comfortable talking to a manager-compared to 2019 (29%) An increase of 38%; 37% for human resources-an increase of 48% compared to 2019 (25%).
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Only 49% of respondents described their experience of talking about mental health at work as positive, or they received a positive or supportive response—comparable to the rate in 2019 (48%).
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program continues to play an important role in workplace mental health, but requires significant investment and commitment to alleviate the disproportionate challenges that will exacerbate events in 2020, including but not limited to systemic racism and trauma due to Covid-19 affects the experience of parents and caregivers, black employees and school closures.
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Young workers (ie Gen Z and Millennial respondents), caregivers, and respondents from historically underrepresented communities (including LGBTQ+, transgender, black, and Latino respondents) are often more likely With mental health symptoms, they are more likely to say that their work or work environment has a negative impact on their mental health, and they are more likely to leave their previous roles due to mental health reasons, at least in part.
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Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are among the people who feel most unsupported in pandemics and racial hate crimes/injustices. With the visitor.
Employers are investing more in mental health, and employees are increasingly attracted by daily support rather than temporary band-aid solutions.
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Since the pandemic, the resources provided by employers to employees have increased, including additional paid leave (increased by 55%), mental health days (increased by 41%) and mental health training (increased by 33%).
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The use of accommodation by employees has increased significantly.
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The “resource” most wanted by respondents (31%) was a more open culture around mental health.
Employers are using company culture to deepen their investment in supporting mental health at work, but no real cultural change has yet been achieved.
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32% of respondents believe that their company actually prioritizes mental health (54% in 2021; 41% in 2019).
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27% of respondents believe that their company leaders promote mental health at work (47% in 2021; 37% in 2019). 21% of respondents believe that if they have a mental health condition or symptoms, their manager is capable of supporting them (47% in 2021; 39% in 2019).
The study revealed a general theme that the future of mental health in the workplace is through employers’ investment in cultural change—including sustainable work styles. Employers must change their perception of mental health from a “personal problem” to a company priority. Mind Share Partners’ mental health workplace ecosystem framework emphasizes how everyone in the organization can play a role in influencing and changing the broader culture surrounding work and mental health.
Qualtrics Chief Personnel Officer Julia Anas said: “The past year has highlighted the impact of mental health on many of our colleagues and employees.” “Whether employees need someone to talk, take care of themselves, family and friends flexibly, or recognize their success, Company leaders must listen, understand, and lead with empathy to help employees find solutions. Everyone is unique, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach, but it starts by listening and then taking action.”
Nick Tzitzon, Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer of ServiceNow, said: “We are no longer the employees we used to be.” It’s a difficult conversation.”
This research is based on the responses of 1,500 individuals collected by Qualtrics through an online survey between May 21, 2021 and June 18, 2021. To download the complete survey results, please visit: www.mindsharepartners.org/mentalhealthatworkreport-2021-download
About Mind Share Partners
Mind Share Partners is a national non-profit organization that is changing the culture of mental health in the workplace so that employees and organizations can flourish. It achieves this goal by building public awareness, hosting communities to support employee resource groups (or affinity groups) and professionals, and providing workplace mental health training and strategic advice to leading companies. Learn more at www.mindsharepartners.org.
About Qualtrics
Qualtrics, the world’s number one experience management (XM) provider and creator of the XM category, is changing the way in which organizations manage and improve the four core experiences of the business (customers, employees, products, and brands). More than 13,500 organizations around the world are using Qualtrics to listen, understand and act on empirical data (X-data™)-these beliefs, emotions and intentions tell you why things happened and how to deal with them. To learn more, visit qualtrics.com.
About current service
ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is building a world of work to work better for people. Our cloud-based platforms and solutions provide digital workflows to create outstanding experiences and release productivity for employees and businesses. For more information, please visit: servicenow.com.
View the source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211004005534/en/
Nina Tomaro
Head of Marketing and Communications
Heart Sharing Partner
[email protected]
Erica Evans
Qualtrics Public Relations
[email protected]
Source: Qualtrics
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