Last Updated on Thursday, 13 June, 2024 at 1:21 pm by Andre Camilleri
A fourth of its kind, the Well-being at the Workplace survey was published byMisco, with the first study conducted in 2020, just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the findings, 86% of respondents stated that they have experienced poor mental wellness related to work, including stress and anxiety.
“As research continued to confirm the relationship between well-being and job satisfaction and job performance, misco embarked on this annual study to specifically analyse employee well-being in the workplace,” explained Nadine Cilia and Iona Cassar, who led the research project from Misco.
Through this ongoing research, employers gain valuable insights into how employees perceive their well-being at work. Armed with this understanding, organisations can introduce suitable measures to enhance both employee engagement and well-being within the workplace.
“Wellness is a crucial component of overall well-being, so, understanding how individuals perceive this can provide valuable insights into their holistic state of health and happiness. This report helps us understand better the implications of poor mental well-being for organisational success,” added Cilia.
Perceived mental wellness reveals an individual’s subjective evaluation of their emotional state, stress levels, coping mechanisms and overall satisfaction with their mental well-being. Cilia mentions that it is interesting to note that in 2021 when employees should have been more stressed and anxious due to the pandemic, only 63% had reported experiencing poor mental wellness due to work.
“These results become more significant when we consider them in the context of the results obtained in previous years. In fact, whereas in 2021, ‘only’ 63% had reported experiencing poor mental wellness due to work, the growth in prevalence was again confirmed in 2022 with 79% of respondents reporting poor mental wellness, followed by 77% in last year’s report.”
Respondents who have experienced poor mental wellness during their working life were also asked if they have felt that they have experienced poor mental wellness at work in the last 12 months. This year, 69% of respondents confirmed such occurrences, showing an increase when compared to last year’s 64%.
“When such findings are compared to 2022 (68%) and 2021 (62%), the trend reveals a consistent increase in reported poor mental wellness at the workplace,” added Cassar.
Stress, however, remains a prevalent issue among respondents, with a concerning consistent increase over the years. This year, more respondents (52%) stated that their stress level is poor to very poor, a slight increase when compared to the 49% obtained in 2023, confirming an overall increasing trend over the years with 47% recorded in 2022 and 45% in 2021.
So, with all the active interest and initiatives by companies to ensure their employees enjoy a healthier work-life balance, including hybrid working arrangements and more investment in training and wellbeing events, why are the statistics going higher rather than lower?
“The answer to this question could be in the statistics we compiled for this report. For example, we found that 60% of employees who experience stress and anxiety still do not dedicate time to unwind from work and when asked why this is the case, 71% stated that they do not see the need for it.”
“This is contradictory as access to vacation leave remains a non-issue. In fact, only 5% of respondents reported they had their vacation leave refused,” added Cilia.
The data suggests a potential association between mental well-being at the workplace and the number of working hours. In the current survey, 52% of respondents reported working more than 40 hours a week, a slight increase from the 49% reported in the previous year.
“But then again, 73% of respondents claimed that their energy levels are “Very Good or Good” and 36% stated that their sense of optimism is “Poor or Very poor” which is less than the 40% reported in 2023.”
In terms of how employers are perceived to deal with the mental health and wellness of their employees, 90% of respondents confirm that they feel that it is the employer’s role to do something about the mental well-being of their employees. At the same time, 73% of respondents believe their colleagues would be supportive if they were struggling with mental health.
Additionally, 49% of respondents expressed uncertainty about whom to turn to in the office if they were experiencing mental health issues.
On a more positive note, Cassar noted that more companies seem to be fostering open dialogue about mental health concerns.
“This year’s findings show that 47% of companies are fostering more open dialogue about mental health which contrasts with lower figures in 2023 (42%) and 2022 (38%). Moreover, 48% indicated that their organisation offers work-life balance initiatives such as flexible hours and the mention of Employee Assistance Programmes/therapy provided by employers.”
For further information about the latest Well-being At The Workplace Report 2024 and details on how to implement a Well-Being assessment at your company, contact Nadine Cilia on ncilia@miscomalta.com
