Workers’ mental health continues to deteriorate. Almost one in two employees (48%) report suffering psychological discomfort, according to the barometer of the consulting firm Empreinte Humaine* on the psychological state of employees carried out by Opinion Way and published this Thursday, November 23. This is four points more than in February 2023 and seven points more than in March 2022.
17% consider that they suffer from high psychological discomfort and 70% attribute their discomfort, at least in part, to work.
Young people and people over 60 years of age more concerned
Employees under 29 years of age represent one of the most vulnerable age groups, since 55% of them suffer from psychological problems. But even more employees over 60 are in this state: 60% are affected, 32 points more than at the beginning of the year. This marked trend for this age group could be explained by the increase in the retirement age and means that this reform has had a very negative effect on the health of older workers.
The proportion of employees with psychological problems has also increased significantly (+8 points) among managers. Finally, female employees are also among the categories most affected by mental disorders at work since 53% of them are in this case. In this sense, young people, women, managers and those over 60 years of age seem to be the “highest risk” groups of employees.
12% of employees experience severe burnout.
In this study, the company was also interested in a particular form of psychological distress: burnout syndrome. According to this work, a third of employees are considered burned out, of which 12% are in a state of severe burnout, according to a scientific questionnaire recognized worldwide and used in this study. The proportion of employees suffering from burnout increased six points compared to February 2023.
One of the consequences of the increase in these psychological difficulties for employees is that almost 40% of sick leave is related to mental health. In detail, 20% of sick leave is motivated by the need to psychologically recover from too intense work, while in another 19% the reason is psychological.
Prevention of psychosocial risks involved
Faced with this, seven out of ten companies believe that their company or organization should do more in terms of psychosocial risk prevention. Proof of its importance, this consideration of psychosocial risks is seen as an essential quality to be a manager by eight out of ten employees. However, eight out of ten employees believe that managers lack interest in this issue.
Among other reasons for this prevention deficit perceived by employees is the training of managers, since three out of four employees believe that they do not have the necessary skills. The same proportion judges that their company’s strategic objectives conflict with the well-being of employees.
Finally, psychological discomfort appears in a greater proportion among employees who telework. Among those who never work in the office, 47% are in this state. While this proportion reaches 36% among those who alternate between the office and their home.
In addition to the overrepresentation of executives and managers among employees who work remotely, the disintegration of the group seems to be another factor that explains the frequency of mental health disorders among these workers.
*The survey was conducted between October 17 and 27, 2023 among a representative panel of 2,004 French employees.
Source: BFM TV
