Here’s a sobering statistic. More than one-third of American workers experience chronic work stress, with low salaries, lack of opportunity for advancement, and heavy workloads topping the list of contributing factors, according to a new national survey by the American Psychological Association’s Center for Organizational Excellence.
Despite a growing interest in workplace wellness, only 36 percent of respondents said their organizations provide sufficient resources to help them manage stress. Only 44 percent said their organizations meet their mental health needs.
With almost two-thirds (65 percent) of U.S. adults citing work as a significant source of stress in the American Psychological Association’s (APA) most recent Stress in America survey and 35 percent of working Americans reporting that they typically feel stressed during the workday, employers need to provide resources to help their employees face work-related challenges.
“This isn’t just an HR or management issue,” said Norman B. Anderson, PhD, chief executive officer of the APA. “The well-being of an organization’s workforce is a strategic business imperative that is linked to its performance and success.”
Gender Differences: Where Do Women Stand?
Despite many advances for women in the workplace, the office still doesn’t feel like a level playing field for many women who reported feeling less valued than men (48 percent of women versus 54 percent of men). Less than half of employed women (43 percent) said they receive adequate monetary compensation for their work, compared to 48 percent of employed men.
Further, fewer employed women than men reported that their employer provides sufficient opportunities for internal career advancement (35 percent versus 43 percent) or resources to help them manage stress (34 percent versus 38 percent). Though employed women were more likely than men to report having good mental health (86 percent versus 76 percent), more women said they typically feeling tense or stressed out at work (37 percent versus 33 percent).
APA’s Work and Well-Being Survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the APA. A full methodology is available online.