Workers more comfortable talking about their well-being, survey shows

Roseland, NJ — Although more than 3 out of 5 employees say they can talk about their physical and mental health at work, some feel less supported, a recent survey shows.

Management services company ADP surveyed nearly 33,000 workers – including more than 8,000 gig workers – from 17 countries between October and November 2022. Around 68% and 64% of the workers said they feel comfortable discussing their physical and mental health, respectively. 

Similar percentages of the respondents feel supported by co-workers (71%) and managers (64%) when it comes to mental health. However, those percentages are down from 75 and 70, respectively, from the year prior.

Other key findings:

• 43% of the workers said their work is suffering as a result of poor mental health – down from 53% a year ago.
• Reported stress levels also decreased, with 63% of the workers experiencing stress at least once a week, compared with 68% the year before.
• The most frequently used strategies used by employers to help improve worker mental health: team-building or bonding activities (27%), stress management breaks (27%), and well-being days off (26%).

“A supportive, inclusive, and empowering workplace culture is essential to attracting and retaining talent and driving productivity by ensuring that workers are satisfied in their jobs, engaged with their companies, and looked after as people,” ADP says in its survey report. “Though there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, businesses can learn a lot from what others are doing to show that they value their staff, care about their well-being, and understand the challenges they may be facing in their work and personal lives.”