Gen Z and young Millennial employees in the UK miss one day’s work each week due to mental health issues, new research has revealed.
Analysis by health and life insurance company Vitality, which has more than 30 million members worldwide, finds that the average UK worker feels like they are missing out on work for almost 50 days a year, costing the UK economy £138 billion ( It turned out that they had caused a staggering loss of $176 billion.
For people under 30, the number of lost productive days increases to 60, while Gen is significant for 64%.
According to Vitality’s findings, the root cause is clear. Younger, less affluent workers are grappling with mental health issues without adequate support from their employers.
While physical health challenges reduced productivity by 54%, mental health issues hit even harder, causing a staggering 150% loss in a productive day, especially among young people.
Younger workers have twice the rate of depression and higher levels of burnout and fatigue compared to older workers.
Adding to the burden, people earning less than £30,000 a year are 86% more likely to feel ignored at work than their higher-earning colleagues.
This may explain the 2023 statistic that workers take an average of just six days of sick leave, with most of the time lost due to inefficient work.
Essentially, Gen Zers work 54 days a year, but due to mental hurdles and reluctance to ask higher-ups for help, they get very little done.
Only a quarter of employees actually use company wellness tools
Even when companies do offer mental health support to their employees, uptake rates are alarmingly low.
Just 25% of the 4,000 people surveyed said they use health tools provided by their employer.
However, 85% of those who did use it found it useful, indicating either that employers have a hard time communicating about the support at hand, or that the majority of workers are unwilling to accept employer support. It suggests that you are either afraid.
Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality, emphasized that companies need to do a better job of advertising their support resources.
“If health in the workplace is properly managed, it will greatly improve business and the economy as a whole,” Kopowicz said.
Mental health days at work skyrocket due to burnout
Vitality’s research comes as the charity Mental Health UK warns that the UK is becoming a “burned out nation”.
According to its 2024 Burnout Report, 9 out of 10 adults have experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress at some point in the past year, and as a result, 1 in 5 It turned out that he was on vacation.
It also resonated with the view that younger staff are statistically more likely to suffer the most and be on furlough.
“The UK is fast becoming a burnout nation, with alarming numbers of people missing work due to stress-related deterioration of their mental health,” said Brian Dow, chief executive of Mental Health UK.
“High levels of absenteeism due to poor mental health is a major challenge, but its causes are complex.”
Ultimately, the report calls on UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to get to the bottom of the problem and help businesses deal with the costs of absenteeism.
Dow held a National Summit with government officials and experts to discuss the best ways to create healthy workplaces and help people suffering from stress and mental health conditions stay in or return to work. The idea of providing advice on how to provide support was also floated.
Are you a young worker struggling to be productive at work due to mental health issues? We’d love to hear from you. Please contact orianna.royle@fortune.com.
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