OSHA posted sobering statistics:
- Nearly one in five US adults live with a mental illness.
- Workplace stress has been reported to cause 120,000 deaths in the US each year.
- Approximately 65% of U.S. workers surveyed have characterized work as being a very significant or somewhat significant source of stress in each year from 2019-2021.
- 83% of US workers suffer from work-related stress and
54% of workers report that work stress affects their home life. - For every $1 spent on ordinary mental health concerns, employers see a $4 return in productivity gains
Our research and that of others have indicated that most workplace stress results from negative interactions with unskillful and untrained managers, not from working too hard. The other causes of workplace stress are lack of autonomy, job control, sense of belonging, and flexibility.
An investment in the organization culture and leadership can have a four-fold gain!
Mental illness and stress remain taboo in many workplaces. Employees hide their pain which may manifest as unproductive or unengaged workers. You can make a difference to support employee well-being. What can you do?
- Learn more about your employees and what would be beneficial
- Cultivate a culture of well-being
- Foster leader development and positive conversations for supervisors and managers
- Ensure resources are available and accessible to employees
- Offer resilience workshops for employees and leaders
We are happy to discuss simple Pulse Surveys that can assess organizational issues contributing to stress and mental health concerns. There are also tools and support information available for employees or contact your EAP for resources. Here is one resource to get you started: Workplace Stress