The following findings were the result of 1,300 women surveyed on how mental health issues—theirs or a colleague’s—impact their careers and workplace happiness.
- 30% of women said that things like depression and anxiety are affecting their performance on the job.
- 28% of all respondents said their mental health struggles had affected their ability to perform their role, with 41% of those 18 to 29 years stating that their mental health struggles had affected their ability to perform their role.
- 58% reported feeling stressed more than half the time they were at work.
- 53% of women said they don’t feel very comfortable talking about a mental health concern with others.
- 14% said they would talk to someone in their office if they felt anxious or depressed.
- 67% of women said they did not feel their mental well-being was supported very much by their employer.
- 20% of women reported being affected by another person’s mental health issues on the job.
Many factors contribute to mental health problems, but for some women work is the problem. It is suggested that what is expected of the average female worker today would have been expected of three people fifteen years ago.
What causes is the most strain at work? Some suggest that it is the people you’re collaborating with that cause the most strain, interpersonal stresses—people rubbing each other the wrong way & dealing with toxic personalities. Also, people who feel isolated at work have the highest levels of workplace stress.
How can we start to make a difference? Employers may need to become more supportive of mental health issues in the workplace while employees need to deal proactively with workplace relationships, with the support of management where appropriate, that may be causing them stress.