The vast majority (89 per cent) of global employees say they’ve experienced moderate to extreme stress over the past 12 months, while half (49 per cent) say they’ve felt a sense of dread a least once a week, according to a new survey by wellness app provider Headspace.
The survey, which polled more than 4,000 workers, 400 chief executive officers and 250 human resources leaders, found the main reasons for feelings of dread were unpredictability at work and expectations to take on more job responsibilities (45 per cent each), fear of not being able to meet higher employer expectations (42 per cent) and fear of being replaced by technology (38 per cent).
Read: HR leaders prioritizing employee mental health but lack access to resources
More than half (59 per cent) of CEOs said they’ve experienced dread on a weekly basis, with economic uncertainty cited as the leading cause at 61 per cent. Nearly two-fifths (37 per cent) of U.S. HR leaders said they’ve experienced dread at work due to burnout from the emotional caregiving responsibilities of employees, while 34 per cent said they’ve experienced dread due to expectations to take on more job responsibilities.
While 94 per cent of HR leaders said they have an increasing responsibility to improve company culture by supporting employee mental health, only 41 per cent said they regularly use mental-health benefits, compared to 64 per cent of CEOs and 73 per cent of employees.
And while three-quarters (75 per cent) of employees said they’re worried their employer would cut back on mental-health benefits and support during a recession, roughly two-thirds (64 per cent) of CEOs said they would actually increase these benefits.
Indeed, the vast majority of CEOs (91 per cent) and employees (89 per cent) agreed their company sufficiently supports employee mental health, compared to 94 per cent and 67 per cent, respectively, in 2022.
Read: How 5 employers are ensuring mental health remains a priority