Stressed out: Survey shows almost half of workers have cried at work

San Francisco — Work-related stress has driven nearly half of full-time employees in the United States to tears, results of a recent survey show.

Surveying more than 1,200 full-time adult workers from various industries, researchers from Ginger – an on-demand behavioral health services provider – assessed participants’ experiences with behavioral health and their employer-provided benefits.

According to an April 29 press release, 48% of survey respondents said on-the-job stress has made them cry at work. In addition, 83% said they experienced stress at work at least once a week. Among workers younger than 40, 45% reported “extreme stress” – defined as experiencing stress on a daily basis.

Other findings:

• 81% of the participants reported that stress negatively affected their work, resulting in symptoms ranging from fatigue and anxiety to physical ailments and missed work.
• Half said they missed at least one day of work in a 12-month period because of stress.
• Women were more likely to cry at work, but 36% of men acknowledged crying at work because of stress.
• Generation Z and millennials are more likely to miss work because of stress.

Results also show that workers are more motivated to get behavioral health assistance – half of respondents said they’re more likely to seek help than they were five years ago. However, although 65% of the workers said they have behavioral health coverage, 81% said various barriers – including lack of time and stigma – prevent them from using it.