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Poor Employee Mental Health Equals Economic Consequences

by | Dec 15, 2022 | Axiom Medical, Workplace Mental Health

Your employee wakes up with flu-like symptoms. What do they do? Call in sick, go to the doctor, recover, and return to work–all employer-supported events, right? 

Plot twist… is the solution as easy if your employee wakes up with mental health symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress, making work impossible that day? For most, no! 

A recent study on approximately 15,000 U.S. workers by Gallup showed that almost 20% of the United States workforce rates their mental health as either fair or poor. From this 20%, employees are four times more likely to miss work due to poor mental health. Compared to employees who rate their mental health as good, very good, and excellent make up the other 80% of the workforce and miss approximately 2.5 days a year. This dramatic increase in employee absences due to poor mental health equates to an economic consequence of $48 billion yearly in the United States. 

Poor Mental Health Amongst Workers by Gender, Age, and Workplace Impact 

Consider these highlights: 

Gender 

  • Women are 8% more likely than men to report their mental health as either poor or fair.  

Age 

  • Age under 30 – 33% reported poor or fair mental health, continuing to decrease with age.  
  • Age 50 to 64 – 11% reported fair mental health

Workplace Impact 

  • 50% of young workers between 18 and 29 report their job negatively affects their mental health
  • 40% report their job negatively or significantly affects their mental health. 
  • Others report their job either having no effect on mental health or positively affecting their mental health. 

Awareness of Workplace Provided Mental Health Services 

Whether employers are providing easily accessible mental health support is also a key factor.   

The Findings are Surprising: 

  • 57% answered that they could not confirm if their employer has easily accessible mental health support services within their workplace.  
  • Of the 57%– 24% reported no mental health support services, and 33% were unaware if they were available.   

Mental Health Support Variances by Industry 

Their job’s impact on their mental health and if their employer provided easily accessible mental health support services were compared among workers in various industries. 

Government or public policy industry workers scored the highest stating that their job had a significantly negative impact on their mental health in the last six months at a rate of 13%. Of those workers in the government or public policy industry, 16% said their workplace does not offer easily accessible mental health support services for their employees, and 29% answered that they did not know.  

Ten percent of workers in the transportation industry responded that their job had an extremely negative impact on their mental health, 22% answered that their employers did not provide easily accessible mental health support services to employees, and 42% answered that they did not know if that type of service was available.  

The healthcare industry also scored high, with 8% of workers acknowledging that their job has an extremely negative impact on their mental health, 22% said their employer does not provide easily accessible mental health support services, and 29% answered that they did not know. 

How to Help Mental Health in the Workplace 

Axiom Medical offers a workplace mental and behavioral health solution called Tempo Live. Tempo Live was developed exclusively for building and maintaining high-performing, safe, healthy, and resilient workforces. It provides employees with routine, in-app health assessments to detect changes in employee behavioral wellness and is designed to minimize the risk of mental health crises by providing proactive mental health first aid with 24/7 nationwide access to licensed medical professionals. As a result, workplaces thrive with Tempo Live through addressing workplace mental health issues and building a resilient workforce. Contact us to learn more about Tempo Live and how it can maximize positive mental health in the workplace and minimize economic consequences. 

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