Economic costs of poor employee mental health

Nearly one-fifth (19%) of U.S. workers rate their mental health as fair or poor, and these workers rate their mental health as good, excellent, or excellent. report about four times more unscheduled absences due to poor mental health than workers who report that they do. A 12-month projection estimates that a worker with moderate or poor mental health has nearly 12 days of unscheduled absence per year, compared with her 2.5 days for all other workers. will be Generalized across the U.S. workforce, this lost job is estimated to cost the economy $47.6 billion in lost productivity annually.

The latest results were obtained from 23 August to September. July 7, 2022 is based on 15,809 US adult workers surveyed online as part of a Gallup panel. The Gallup Panel is a probability-based, non-opt-in panel of approximately 115,000 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The absent days estimate is based on the question, “How many days were you absent last month due to poor mental health?” Results are calculated after adjusting for age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, gender, household income, education, marital status, and country region. The cost of absenteeism is conservatively estimated at $340 per day for full-time workers and $170 per day for part-time workers.

Young and female workers are most likely to report poor mental health

Struggling with mental health is not evenly distributed across the working population. Similar to other mental health indicators, including depression, women (23%) were more likely than men (15%) to report poor or fair mental health. Almost a third (31%) of young workers under 30 do the same, compared to 11% of young workers aged 50 to her 64 and 9% of those aged 65 and over.

As such, working women under the age of 30 bear the greatest burden of moderate or poor mental health (36%) of all age subgroups. Especially for those 65 and older, the gender gap in mental health seen in younger age groups is closing.

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Work has a negative impact on the mental health of American workers

Four in 10 U.S. workers report that their job has a very negative (7%) or moderately negative (33%) impact on their mental health, and three in 10 very positive (7%) or somewhat positive (23%) impact.

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Nearly half (47%) of young workers aged 18-29 report that their job has a negative impact on their mental health. This negative effect moderates slightly with increasing age before being significantly reduced in workers aged 65 and over.This group believes that in their work positive It has an impact ratio of almost 3 to 1 (43% positive vs. 15% negative). The improvement with age is due to many employees taking on more challenging jobs as they progress in their careers, and working by choice rather than by necessity, especially in his 65+ age group. There is a possibility.

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Fewer than half of U.S. workers are aware of their employer’s mental health services

While some workers report that their workplace has a negative impact on their mental health, the majority (57%) are unable to confirm that easily accessible mental health support services exist in their workplace, and 24% say these is reporting that there is no service for A further 33% don’t even know if it’s available through their employer.

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More than 50% of employees in 11 of the 16 reported industries report no easily accessible mental health support services at work or are unaware that they exist. This includes 75% of construction workers and 71% of arts/design/entertainment workers. /sports/media.

Thirteen percent of government or public policymakers report their work has had a “very negative” impact on their mental health in the past six months, more than any other industry.

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implication

The economics of happiness has been substantiated through multiple studies over the years.

Previous Gallup research shows the economic costs. Poor health, caregiving, depression, sleep deprivation, obesity and smoking, among many other factors related to the five key components of health. In addition, the key attributes of holistic health have been shown to significantly reduce worker compensation claims, unplanned absences leading to turnover, and workplace accidents compared to physical health alone. However, this is the first time that Gallup has quantified the overall economic cost of mental health for workers as a top priority.

Mental health is not just an American problem

Globally, nearly 4 in 10 adults over the age of 15 suffer from severe depression or anxiety, or from a close friend or family member. Secondly, a significant increase in global unhappiness is expected in 2021, with a steady increase over the past decade in the proportion of people reporting significant amounts of anger, stress, worry, sadness and physical distress in the previous day. indicates that a new high has been reached. In the United States, a disturbing increase in hopeless deaths is associated with fewer job opportunities for people without a college degree and subsequent psychological associations related to well-being, such as sense of belonging, self-esteem, meaning and purpose, and prospects for advancement. related to sex. in the world economy. While not specific to rural white men, the trend is particularly acute for these particular individuals who do not have a college education.

The role that well-being and related experiences can play in mitigating key aspects of poor mental health is significant.

For example, while a healthy diet is associated with a lower likelihood of depression, those who are fully employed are about half as likely as those who are unemployed or involuntarily partially employed. Although each influences each other, a previous Gallup longitudinal study that followed more than 11,000 adults over time found that well-being was associated with future depression and anxiety. has been shown to have a causal effect 54% stronger than its inverse. As such, the vital role of leaders in supporting and enhancing a culture of well-being in the workplace has never been greater.