New research from the Society for Human Resource Management found that 30% of employees report that their jobs make them feel stressed, while 26% often feel “overwhelmed” by their work and 22% often feel disengaged from their job. Additionally, more than one-third of those surveyed said their job has a negative impact on mental health, though around the same number said their work positively affects their mental health.
The main contributors of stress, according to SHRM data, include workload (64% of respondents), compensation (57%), the nature of their work (48%), poor management or leadership (46%), understaffing (42%) and lack of recognition for their work (38%). When a job hurts the mental health of an employee, the organizational productivity for the employee and the company can suffer, too, said Jen Mahone Rightler, an HR and DEI leader.
Managers are encouraged to look carefully at their workplace culture to ensure employees are engaged, happy and productive. Signs of an unhealthy workplace culture include a high turnover of employees, workers who are frequently late or absent, pervasive office gossip, a lack of well-define core values or the managers not following the core values, and employees who rarely take lunch breaks.
Rightler suggested a few strategies for managers in their effort develop a healthy company culture. The manager should offer guidance and help, but without any bias attached, she said, as well as extend support without expectation. She also suggested displaying a sense of curiosity without judgment and connecting with others on an emotional level.
