Is the stigma around mental health issues, particularly as they manifest at work, a thing of the past? Quartz teamed up with SurveyMonkey Audience to ask nearly two thousand U.S. workers about how mental health and #MeToo are affecting their work.
Many workers still go to work when sick and think that mental health isn’t a good enough excuse to miss a day of work (30 percent), and, similar shares believe that management would agree (33 percent). So trudging on they do, but why? Among those who go to work even when they think it would be better to take the time away, over half (52 percent) are doing so because they need the money.
- Over half (53 percent) of employed adults go to work anyway even when a mental health day would be beneficial. Nearly one third (32 percent) would call in sick, and just 15 percent feel comfortable being honest and taking a “mental health day”.
- People in the tech industry have the greatest shares who can take a “mental health day”--21 percent compared to just 16 percent in the healthcare industry who, arguably, should be the most aware of the benefits to patients and the industry as a whole when physical and mental health are treated with the same respect.
- Almost two in 10 workers are experiencing anxiety or depression to the point where it disrupts work (18 percent) “all the time” or “often”. This is nearly double for millennials-- 30 percent.
- The workplace culture may actually be changing in a positive way towards openly talking about mental health issues. Some American workers say they feel comfortable talking to their bosses (31 percent) about their mental health and many (72 percent) feel supported by their employer.
Read more from Quartz here.
Read more about our polling methodology here.
Click through all the results in the interactive toplines below:
Question text:
When it comes to your mental well-being, how much would you say you feel supported by your employer?
How comfortable would you be discussing your mental health with your boss?
On a day where you feel it would be beneficial to take some time away from work for your mental health, what do you generally do?
How often, if at all, do you experience anxiety or depression to the point where it interferes with your ability to be productive at work?
And what are the main reasons you do not take time off when you need to for your mental health? (Select all that apply).
How surprised would you be to read a #MeToo-related news story about your employer, past or present?
How has the #MeToo movement changed things where you work? (Select all that apply).
Has the #MeToo movement had a mostly positive or mostly negative impact on the work culture for your industry?
*consumers *employees
