The American workforce faces compounding pressure

When it comes to the impact of different factors on employee stress levels at work, low salaries (56%, up from 49% in 2019), long hours (54%, up from 46%), and lack of opportunity for growth or advancement (52%, up from 44%) are most commonly reported as very or somewhat significant.

• Other factors such as too heavy of a workload (50%), lack of paid time off or sick leave (50%), and commuting (50%) are mentioned by half of employees.

• Nearly half of employees (48%) say lack of involvement in decisions contributes to stress in the workplace, a significant increase from the last time this question was asked in 2019 (39%). 
• More than two in five employees say health and safety factors, such as physical illnesses and ailments (45%) and unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions (44%), impact stress level at work.

• Those with a disability are more likely to cite these as having a significant impact on their stress at work (physical illnesses and ailments: 71% vs. 41% of those who do not have a disability; unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions: 69% vs. 39%).

Nearly three in five employees (59%) have experienced negative impacts of work-related stress in the past month, including a lack of interest, motivation or energy (26%), difficulty focusing (21%), and a lack of effort at work (19%).

• Looking across type of work, adults who perform manual labor or work in customer service, sales, or entertainment are more likely than adults who work in administration, management, or desk jobs to say they have experienced symptoms of physical fatigue (51% and 53% vs. 38%, respectively), cognitive weariness (41% and 44% vs. 29%), and emotional exhaustion (41% and 40% vs. 25%) at work quite frequently or more often in the past 30 workdays.
• Adults who perform manual labor or work in customer service, sales, or entertainment are also more likely to say that in the past month, mental and physical problems kept them from achieving their goals at work.

• Mental health problems: 42% of adults who perform manual labor and 45% adults who work in customer service, sales, or entertainment vs. 33% those who work in administration, management, or desk jobs
• Physical problems: 40% and 41% vs. 30%

• When it comes to job level, lower-level employees are more likely to experience negative impacts of work-related stress (67% front line and 64% mid-level vs. 54% upper-level) and more than one in three front line workers (35%) have felt fed up at work quite frequently or more often in the past 30 days. 
• On the other hand, upper- and mid-level workers, in general, tend to have more positive experiences than front line workers and individual contributors, including being more likely to say they are satisfied with their job (89% and 87% vs. 68% and 67%, respectively), motivated to do their best (86% and 85% vs. 72% and 74%), and feel valued (86% and 80% vs. 62% and 55%).

There are certain actions employers can take to create a psychologically healthy workplace and support employees’ mental health.

• The vast majority (87%) of employees think actions from their employer would help their mental health, most commonly offering flexible hours (34%), encouraging employees to take care of their health (32%), encouraging employees to use paid time off (30%), and encouraging breaks during the workday (30%). 
• Further, providing mental health resources (37%) and regularly recognizing employee contributions (36%) may help employers achieve a psychologically healthy work environment for their employees. 
• If employees could have only one extra perk, one-third (33%) want more money—especially women (36%). 
• But what workers want is not exactly the same. 

• Women are more likely than men to say in order to achieve a psychologically healthy workplace, employers should pay employees fairly (50% vs. 43%) and allow flexibility (47% vs. 36%). The focus on pay is not surprising considering that women are less likely than men to say they receive adequate monetary compensation for their contributions at work (65% vs. 74%). 
• If they could only have one extra perk from their employer, those who are not parents are more likely than parents to want more money (41% vs. 24%), while parents are more likely to say more flexibility (17% vs. 11%). 
• Those who have women and people of color in senior leadership positions are more likely to agree their current workplace is psychologically healthy. 

• When looking to the future of the maturing workforce, the findings reveal employees increasingly want their employers to have a holistic approach. Adults aged 25–42 are more likely than all other adults to say employers could encourage employees to take time off (45% vs. 33% of adults aged 18–24, 35% of adults aged 43–56, and 33% of adults aged 57+), provide mental health resources (43% vs. 31%, 31% and 30%, respectively), and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts (39% vs. 28%, 27% and 26%) to achieve a psychologically healthy workplace.