The survey found 1 in 3 employees experienced workplace stress on a daily basis, with those in the media, health care and food services industries having the most burnout. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Although most employees are satisfied with their mental health coverage, they are afraid to bring up their problems to their employers.
That's according to "Mental Health in the Workplace." a survey released this month and conducted by Maestro Health, which found that 63% of employees struggled with a mental health condition, and 42% said it had a "significant impact" on their ability to do their jobs. Yet, according to the survey, 51% said they were not comfortable bringing it up with their managers.
"The spotlight that is now on mental health is long overdue, and it's up to employers, health care providers and health plans to move the needle on mental well-being communication, education and support services available in and out of the workplace," said Nancy Reardon, chief strategy and product officer at Maestro Health.
Maestro Health, a health and benefits third-party administrator, surveyed 2,009 American workers from March 20 through March 22. The survey comes as the COVID-19 pandemic, which is "economically disruptive, socially isolating and fraught with emotion," has served as a "wakeup call" on mental health in the workplace, according to the survey.
"It shouldn't take a crisis for company leaders to put mental well-being at the forefront, but now more than ever, employers should be working to ensure their employees have what they need to be well," said Craig Maloney, Maestro Health's chief executive officer.
The survey found 1 in 3 employees experienced workplace stress on a daily basis, with those in the media, health care and food services industries having the most burnout. But it also revealed problems in communications to employees about mental health coverage, given that 56% of respondents said they had not received such information from their employers.
The survey also found the ages of managers mattered in that communication. Of respondents whose managers were in their 20s and 30s, 54% felt comfortable talking about their mental health, while only 43% felt the same if they had managers in their 50s or older.
Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder were the conditions with the most stigma, according to the survey.
That said, managers were not likely the first to hear about workplace stress. While 66% of the respondents said a coworker has talked to them about their mental health struggles, only 49% felt comfortable discussing it with their managers, according to the survey.
Companies with 50 to 249 employees had the best communication on the subject, with 70% of respondents saying they felt comfortable talking to their coworkers about their mental health struggles.
Those in the real estate, insurance and legal industries had the highest levels of discomfort. In the legal industry, where mental health has been a recurring problem, 57% of respondents felt uncomfortable bringing it up, according to the survey. Only 38% said they had received information from their employers about mental health coverage.
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Amanda Bronstad
Amanda Bronstad is the ALM staff reporter covering class actions and mass torts nationwide. She writes the email dispatch Law.com Class Actions: Critical Mass. She is based in Los Angeles.
