Is your manager stressing you out or do they have a positive impact on your mental health? The Workforce Institute at UKG surveyed 3,400 people across 10 countries to spotlight the critical role our jobs, leadership and, most of all, our managers play in supporting mental health in and outside of work.
“We talk a lot about mental health in terms of a medical diagnosis or burnout. While those are serious issues, the day-to-day stressors we live with – especially those caused by work – are what we should talk more about as leaders,” said Pat Wadors, Chief People Officer at UKG. “Life isn’t all milk and honey and when leaders open up about their own struggles, they acknowledge employees are not alone, and that it’s OK not to be OK. Authentic, vulnerable leadership is the key to creating belonging at work, and, in turn, the key to solving the mental health crisis in the workplace.”
Workers are tired, stressed and want leaders to do more
At the end of work, 43% of employees are ‘often’ or ‘always’ exhausted and 78% of employees say that stress negatively impacts their work performance. That stress from work carries into our personal lives, as employees say work negatively impacts their home life (71%), well-being (64%) and relationships (62%). For people who report ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ mental health, around one-quarter (28%) say they lack work/life balance, compared with just 4% of people in ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ mental health.
While nine in 10 HR and C-suite leaders believe working for their company has a positive impact on employees’ mental health, only half of employees agree. In fact, one in three say their manager fails to recognise the impact they have on their team’s mental well-being, and seven in 10 would like their company and manager to do moreto support mental health.
“The chronic anxiety that comes from working through one global crisis after another is wearing on employees,” said Dr Jarik Conrad, Executive Director of The Workforce Institute at UKG. “Being overwhelmed consumes human energy and impacts retention, performance, innovation and culture. Employers can be the anchor of stability for their people by giving them the support and resources they need — not just what we think they need.”
It’s OK not to be OK
Forty percent of employees are ‘often’ or ‘always’ stressed about work, but 38% say they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ talk with their manager about their workload. Yet, research shows that managers and C-level leaders carry much of the same burdens as their people – sometimes more.
Managers are more often stressed out than their team members and senior leadership (42% vs 40% and 35%, respectively) and 25% say they are ‘often’ or ‘always’ feeling burned out.
The C-suite is not immune to challenges, either. A surprising 33% of C-level leaders said, ‘I don’t want to work anymore’, and the younger the leader, the more they agree with that statement. In fact, a whopping 40% of the C-suite says they will likely quit in the next 12 months due to work-related stress.
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