US companies: Have mental health issues? That's your problem, come to work
Staff Writer |
January is Mental Wellness Month, and University of Phoenix announced survey findings regarding employed adults and perceptions of burnout and mental wellness in the workplace.
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The online survey, conducted among 2,020 U.S. adults, found more than half (55 percent) of those currently employed say they have experienced job burnout.
However, even with the high rate of burnout, employees are not taking time off. Only 34 percent of employees say they have taken days off for mental health compared to 61 percent who say they taken time off for physical ailments.
Feelings of burnout can be brought on by number of things including heavy workload, workplace stress and lack of recognition and may have a direct correlation with overall job satisfaction.
The survey found that only two in five (44 percent) employed U.S. adults are satisfied with their job, and nearly nine in 10 (86 percent) feel worker burnout is connected to job satisfaction.
When asked why people do not take more mental health time off, U.S. adults indicated the following reasons:
- The company does not view this as an acceptable reason – 46 percent
- People are too busy at work to take time off – 39 percent
- Shame or judgment by coworkers – 36 percent
- Fear of someone else taking over their responsibilities – 35 percent
- Societal stigma around mental health – 33 percent
- People take them, they just don't talk about it – 26 percent
Despite the stigmas that still exist, the data shows that some employees are taking care of their mental health.
Interestingly, 12 percent of employed U.S. adults note they have taken five or more days off in the past 12 months for mental health reasons.
The survey also found parents of children 18 and under are more likely than non-parents to have taken at least one day for mental health reasons (42 percent vs. 28 percent) in the past 12 months. ■