According to a recent survey conducted by MISCO, 67 per cent of workers in a variety of sectors admitted to have experienced mental health issues due to their work, especially anxiety and stress.
The Wellbeing Assessment at Work survey was conducted by MISCO in March as part of a newly-launched wellness survey that seeks to research and identify how employed people feel about their mental well-being at work. The survey appeals to all companies wanting to learn more about the mental state of their employees and can be tailor-made according to the company’s requirements.
“Mental health at the workplace was already an issue before COVID-19, in fact, this survey was carried out in the beginning of March, before we even know the extent of the pandemic’s impact,” said Odessa Farrugia from MISCO, who coordinated the compilement of this report.
“Mental health support is still relatively a taboo and seemed to concern isolated individuals. But now, with the coronavirus pandemic going down as the greatest professional disruption in living memory, everyone is to some degree or other going to be psychologically affected by this global experience, experiencing a myriad of psychological issues as we gradually emerge from lockdown. Naturally, this is human and to be expected. So the need for companies to assess the mental well-being of their people is now more important than ever,” Farrugia added.
A total of 565 respondents took part in this survey covering nine different sectors including financial services, manufacturing, administration and tourism. Whereas 54 per cent of respondents were female, 66 per cent work in the private sector, 31 per cent work in the public sector and three per cent work in an NGO.
The need for companies to assess the mental well-being of their people is now more important than ever
When asked how would they describe their current mental wellness, 24 per cent replied very good, 44 per cent said good, 24 per cent said poor and seven per cent said very poor.
“Longer working hours could be possibly contributing to this situation. In fact, 40 per cent of respondents work between 41 and 50 hours. The study also confirmed that 83 per cent of these do not work on a shift basis.”
Whereas 69 per cent admitted that they never took time off from work because of poor mental wellness, 79 per cent of them said that they did not do so because they never felt the need.
“This raises another pertinent question. Could it be the case that there is not enough awareness to instigate employees to feel the need to tackle their mental well-being?,” Farrugia said.
Asked about what initiatives does their workplace provide in order to help them improve their mental well-being, 42 per cent said flexible hours, 22 per cent mentioned an open communication culture, 21 per cent mentioned employee assistance programmes and therapy, whereas 18 per cent mentioned initiatives towards promoting a healthier lifestyle such as gym, food, etc.
“But perhaps one of the most worrying findings was the extent to which employees are willing to disclose their problem and talk about it. Fifty-five per cent would not feel confident disclosing unmanageable stress or mental health problems to their current employer or manager, 72 per cent have never disclosed their issues with their employers whereas 70 per cent of those who did never received adverse treatment. These figures perhaps confirm that when it comes to well-being at the workplace, employers need to take the first active step if they really care about their people,” Farrugia concluded.
‘Wellbeing Assessment at Work’ will be one of the topics to be discussed during a webinar being organised by MISCO on July 22 to share knowledge about the subject and continue raising awareness about mental well-being at the workplace.
Those interested in joining this webinar should contact MISCO on info@miscomalta.com.
Other survey findings
40% of the respondents said that poor mental wellness affects concentration levels at work, leading to conflict with colleagues, being less patient with stakeholders and taking longer to do tasks.
52% of respondents often find their job stressful.
20% claim that their stress is due to a heavy workload.
46% claim that they experience pressure.