The Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine... Many concerns have added to anxiety and mental health is now a priority for human resources managers. But talking about mental health remains taboo for many employees.
The mental health app Wysa surveyed more than 1,000 employees in the United States recently to get a glimpse into their mindset after two years of crisis after crisis. It found that most of them have symptoms of psychological disorders, such as depression, anxiety, stress or burnout.
This phenomenon is particularly prevalent among younger generations, as revealed by Wysa's survey. Thus, 47% of Generation Z workers say they suffer from anxiety disorders. This malaise has consequences on their professional life: only 18% of 25-34 year olds surveyed say they are not too stressed by their work. This figure rises to 41% for their colleagues over 55 years old.
Suffer in silence
While companies are becoming increasingly aware of the low morale of their employees, they are facing a major problem to remedy it. Psychological disorders are still misunderstood, even taboo. Sick people are often afraid and ashamed to talk about it, especially to their colleagues or superiors.
Four in ten US employees say their management doesn't know they suffer from anxiety. Almost as many hide their depression from their employer (38%). This prevents them from taking time for themselves. Only 15% of those surveyed admit to their manager that they have to take time off to take care of their mental health.
It is a vicious circle that urgently needs to be broken, as the World Health Organisation estimates that depression will be the leading cause of disability worldwide by 2030. Faced with the scale of the phenomenon, companies offer their employees days off so that they can make their well-being a priority.
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For Ramakant Vempati, co-founder of Wysa, told De Morgen that "too many people feel compelled to lie to take time off when their mental health affects their ability to work... Even those who suffer from symptoms of anxiety or moderate depression don't feel comfortable informing their managers."
