Burnout: Our Biggest and Most Hidden Workplace Epidemic?
With the rise of technology and increasing hyper-connectivity in our work and social lives, people are finding they need to be ‘always-on.’
Much research has shown that increased demands at work such as workload, pressures, ambiguity, relationship conflict and poor management behaviours are contributing to employees feeling ‘burnt out.’
In fact, in a recent survey 50% of people report ‘always’ feeling exhausted. It is no surprise that there has been growing concern between the relationship between our work and overall mental health.
The Deteriorating Mental Health Epidemic
According to The Mental Health Foundation, two in three adults have experienced mental health issues at some point in their life with a total of 65 per cent of Briton’s having been affected by conditions ranging from panic attacks, anxiety to depression. Worryingly, the World Health Organisation have reported that mental health has deteriorated by 50% since 1990, with experts concluding it is set to get worse.
Consequentially, we are seeing more and more people struggling to cope at work as they balance a myriad of demands with their overall mental wellness. This often leads to two organisational outcomes; 1) increased absenteeism, 2) increased presenteeism, whereby people turn up to work despite being ill and struggle to engage or be productive with their work.
It has been reported that 1 in 2 of all working days lost are now due to poor mental wellness; including stress, anxiety and depression (Office for National Statistics), costing in the order of £26 billion per year. Shockingly, research has indicated that presenteeism is far more costly than absenteeism, costing employers 2 to 7 times more.
Clearly, ensuring employees feel mentally well to be their best is not only a moral imperative but also a simple economic argument. Every ounce of our productivity at work comes from our mind and our state of mind dictates the effectiveness of our application; how we relate to others, behave at work, perform and engage with our work to contribute to the collective organisation success.
The Mental Health Foundation estimate that people working with a mental health problem are responsible for 12.1% of the UK’s GDP — that’s £226 billion of value.
The Invisible Problem
One of the biggest challenges organisations face is being able to identify a problem in the first place. Often, employees do not feel safe or confident in disclosing mental health issues so often the issue is invisible, leaving negative workplace behaviours and cultures to fester. A recent study showed that of the 49% of people who had taken mental-health related absence in the last year, 45% of them gave another reason for their absence. Delving in to this further, the same study by The Mental Health Foundation found that there were three top reasons not to disclose the true reason for their absence:
· 46% did not report mental-health related absence for fear of being discriminated against or harassed by colleagues
· 41% did not report mental-health related absence because they feel/ felt ashamed to do so
· 45% did not report mental-health related absence because they felt it is none of their employer’s business
It becomes a very bleak picture, when you also add to the mix that nearly half of all employees do not feel their workplace is an emotionally healthy environment, with 55 per cent of organisations having no formal strategy for handling employee wellbeing.
The Burning Platform
If we are to create workplaces that enrich us and enable us to thrive and perform, we have to start with tackling how we understand and challenge ourselves to address workplace demands, culture and burnout.
This means better identification, better awareness and creating safe environments. Ultimately, we not only need to focus on the problem and how best to support people at work, but we need a fundamental shift in how we empower and promote mental wellness at work.
People Matter exist to empower people and organisations from the negative impact of stress at work. Using powerful AI, we spot potential risks to wellness before things start to become problems.
Written by Amy Charlotte King
Find out more at www.peoplematter.tech
