How to improve support for workers’ well-being right now

‘Job pressures’ are now a bigger stressor than COVID-19 fears. Here’s how to reverse that trend—and start creating a healthier, happier workplace environment.

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As the pandemic continues to drag on, companies know employees face a mental health crisis. But what can they do to help this messy, uncertain environment?

According to new data collected by The Conference Board in advance of World Mental Health Day, 57% of more than 1,800 U.S. workers surveyed say their mental health has deteriorated since the pandemic began.

And the workplace is not helping. Half of the respondents to TCB’s survey say work demands are taking a bigger toll on their mental health than COVID-19 itself.

The data shows that women are disproportionately suffering from work-related pressures—at a clip of more than 1.5 times the rate of their male colleagues. This, coupled with the fact that the first year of the pandemic knocked an astounding 54 million women out of the workplace globally, should be a clarion call for companies to make meaningful employee support priority No. 1.

Here are some key findings from the data, which companies of all stripes can use to benchmark and analyze their own efforts well beyond World Mental Health Day:

1. Nearly 8 in 10 workers are concerned about their mental health.

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