Workplace Stress
Overview
Statistics
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Nearly one in five US adults live with a mental illness2.
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Workplace stress has been reported to cause 120,000 deaths in the US each year3.
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Approximately 65% of U.S. workers surveyed have characterized work as being a very significant or somewhat significant source of stress in each year from 2019-20214.
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83% of US workers suffer from work-related stress and
54% of workers report that work stress affects their home life5. -
For every $1 spent on ordinary mental health concerns, employers see a $4 return in productivity gains
Stress can be harmful to our health and increase mental health challenges. Mental health challenges can include clinical mental illness and substance use disorders as well as other emotions like stress, grief, feeling sad and anxious, where these feelings are temporary and not part of a diagnosable condition. While there are many things in life that induce stress, work can be one of those factors. However, workplaces can also be a key place for resources, solutions, and activities designed to improve our mental health and well-being.
Workplace stress and poor mental health can negatively affect workers through1:
- Job performance
- Productivity
- Work engagement and communication
- Physical capability and daily functioning
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (July 2018). Mental Health in the Workplace.
2 National Institute of Mental Health. (January 2022). Mental Illness.
3 Goh, J., Pfeffer, J., & Zenios, S. A. (2015). The relationship between workplace stressors and mortality and health costs in the United States. Management Science, 62(2), 608-628.
4 American Psychological Organization. (October 2021). Stress in America: Stress and decision-making during the pandemic.
5 The World Health Organization (2022). Mental health in the workplace.