Mental health and empathy at work is an extremely topical and important issue. It turns out that as many as 41% of employees feel emotionally overloaded, and 86% believe that work has a big impact on mental health. These are one of the conclusions of the nationwide study „Closer to yourself – mental health and empathy at work”.

The study „Bliżej Siebie – mental health and empathy at work” was created on the initiative of the organizer of the „Bliżej Siebie” campaign, the ArteMis Group. It was carried out at the turn of April and May 2023 on a nationwide sample of over 1,500 people, among whom two groups were distinguished: employees and employers. Its aim was to identify problems and needs in the field of mental health and empathy in the work environment.

In the interests of mental well-being, self-awareness, i.e. understanding one’s own emotional states and the needs behind them, is key. The study shows that 41% of employees and 31% of employers feel emotionally overloaded, and stress is a part of everyday life for 37% of employees and 38% of employers. Only 2% of respondents in both surveyed groups never feel stress while at work.

Both Employees and Employers consider the following to be the main psychological difficulties noticed in co-workers: professional burnout (according to 50% of Employees and 38% of Employers) and mental exhaustion (according to 44% of Employees and 45% of Employers).

86% of employees and 73% of employers agree with the statement that „work has a significant impact on the mental health of employees”, and among the factors that contribute to the emergence and development of mental and emotional problems at work are „time pressure and pace of work (according to 45% of Employees and 35% of Employers) and „excessive stress”.

At the same time, the opposite effect is also noticed – according to 81% of employees and 70% of employers, „mental health has an impact on the Employee’s absence from work.”

The „Closer to Yourself” campaign talks a lot about how important it is to create psychologically safe workplaces, i.e. places where you can openly and without fear of ridicule or punishment, talk about your well-being, express your opinion, question, admit mistake, share ideas.

According to the respondents, the key factors conducive to building a psychologically safe workplace are the empathic attitude of leaders and superiors, as well as the ability to openly express their opinion, also critical, about working conditions.

76% of employees and 70% of employers are of the opinion that companies should create a work environment in which Employees are not afraid to talk openly about their mental health.

At the same time, it is worth noting that 41% of employees are afraid to openly talk about the deterioration of their mental condition. 1/4 of employees believe that in their workplace people with mental health problems are stigmatized (26%) and removed from the team (24%), and 66% of employees believe that the mental condition of employees is marginalized by the employer.

An important issue addressed by the „Closer to Yourself” campaign is empathy in the workplace, i.e. attentiveness to other people, their well-being, emotions and the needs that lie beneath them.

It is therefore gratifying that the majority of respondents in both groups agree that empathy is needed in the workplace (according to 84% of Employees and 71% of Employers) and that they see space in the workplace for: „mindful of people” (according to 63% of Employees and 55% of Employers) and “being empathetic” (respectively: 62% and 63%).

It is disturbing, however, that only 36% of Employees (56% of Employers) declared the general level of empathy in their workplace as „good” or „very good”, and 43% of Employees have never been asked by their supervisor about their well-being. Only 24% of employees hear this question on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, „listening carefully to Employees” is indicated as the main competence of a good supervisor/leader and the vast majority of Employees and Employers are of the opinion that „a manager/direct supervisor should be interested in the mental condition of Employees” (74% and 66%, respectively).

Currently, empathy is considered one of the key leadership competencies necessary for success in management. That is why it is so important to introduce it to companies and for empathic leadership to become the norm, in which the leader treats the Employee primarily as a human being, with his or her problems, emotions and needs – says Agata Swornowska-Kurto, President of the Management Board of the ArteMis Group, originators and organizer of the „Closer to Yourself” campaign. This is important, especially since more than half of employees believe that the empathetic attitude of leaders and superiors is crucial for building a psychologically safe working environment – he adds.

76% of employees believe that companies should introduce programs supporting the mental condition of employees, and 73% believe that they should provide access to a psychologist. It is the health benefit in the form of consultations with psychotherapists and psychologists that is indicated by the largest number of people as an activity supporting the mental health and well-being of Employees.

At the same time, it is worth noting that ¼ of employees (24%) and 30% of employers agree with the statement that „mental health is a personal matter of each employee and nothing to do with the company”.

The nationwide educational and information campaign „Bliżej Siebie”, whose originator and organizer is the Artemis Group, encourages people to be closer to their co-workers, to better understand their behavior and needs, but also to be closer to oneself. The report with the presentation of full results and expert comments can be downloaded free of charge from the campaign website: blizejsiebie.info/raport

Source: Artemis Group

Source:https://kadry.infor.pl/bhp/5775904,zdrowie-psychiczne-i-empatia-w-pracy.html

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.