Employees expect companies to take care of their mental health. Is this happening?

Well-being, both physical and mental, has a significant impact on our lives, including work. Professionally, this translates into efficiency, commitment, and the use of competences. Do employers care about the mental condition of their employees? It turns out that most subordinates care about this very much.

Psychologist or psychiatrist care – that’s what employees want

Results of the study entitled “Mental well-being at work” shows that every third employee would like to change their workplace. This is caused, among others, by a bad atmosphere, excessive stress, and employers’ pressure on professional achievements. This, in turn, promotes mental disorders.

In recent years, the number of patients with mental problems has increased dramatically, including the diagnosis of depression. Over the past 10 years, sales of antidepressants have increased by 59 percent. “These numbers show that the problem is becoming urgent and requires advanced action,” the report states. This, in turn, makes it necessary to seek the care of appropriate specialists – a psychiatrist or psychologist. According to the published report, almost 3/4 of the surveyed people believe that their mental health is deteriorating, but also that the unavailability of specialists in this field is increasing. As a result, almost 60 percent of employees expect their employer to provide additional insurance covering the care of a psychiatrist or psychologist.

In turn, the study “Mental health on the Polish labor market” shows that as many as 96.6 percent people employed in our country believe that their employer should support their mental health. The report indicated that the respondents expressed their needs in the field of psychological support, psychoeducation and organizational culture.

Do Polish employers support the mental health of their employees?

As much as 65 percent Poles do not feel that the management staff tries to take care of their well-being. Additionally, as many as 1/5 of these people do not feel that their superior takes any action to support employees’ mental health.

“It is worth remembering that our mental health is as important as our physical health, and promoting care for it is a step towards a healthier workplace,” said Anna Kwiatkowska, manager for group product development at Nationale-Nederlanden, quoted in the report. However, the report included the information that 14 percent of company representatives declare taking actions aimed at supporting the mental health of employees. However, this is “a drop in the ocean of needs”.

Work and the mental health of employees

Society is becoming more and more aware of the impact work has on our mental health. “Employees who take care of their mental health are more productive, the chance of them experiencing burnout and thinking about changing jobs is reduced,” summarizes the report “Mental well-being at work.”

Additionally, it is worth noting that chronic stress, for example caused by work, increases the risk of various diseases, such as depression, but also heart attack, coronary heart disease or hypertension.