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Dive Brief:
- A new study confirms that frontline workers have significantly higher mental health needs than their non-frontline colleagues: Nearly two-thirds (61%) are more likely to suffer from depression and 33% are more likely to suffer from anxiety, according to findings released Feb. 8 by digital workforce resilience platform potential meQuilibrium. However, when faced with high stress, frontline workers are 30% less likely to seek professional help than their non-frontline colleagues, according to a survey of 1,138 US-based workers.
- “Front-line workers regularly interact with frustrated customers, work irregular shifts, have no paid time off and have little autonomy in the tasks assigned to them by managers, which can contribute to higher rates of burnout, stress, depression and secondary trauma stress, compared to their corporate counterparts. Brad Smith, meQuilibrium’s chief scientist, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, frontline workers are often unaware of their wellness options, and their erratic hours can prevent them from scheduling appointments, resulting in a gap between their needs and the use of related benefits,” explained Smith.
- Employers have an interest in closing this knowledge gap, given the strong link between mental well-being and performance, Smith noted. This can be done through a proactive approach and education, which in turn can lead to a healthier, more productive workplace in industries such as transportation, healthcare, manufacturing and hospitality, he said.
Dive Insight:
Workers are having a tough year trying to keep their mental well-being intact, according to numerous studies.
For example, more than three-quarters of employers surveyed last year by the Business Group on Health saw increased mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse disorder among their employees. That’s an impressive jump from 44% of employers in 2022, according to the August 2023 report.
Workloads may have the strongest impact on mental health, according to a May 2023 report from The Conference Board. Nearly half of workers who reported poorer mental health also worked more than 50 hours a week, the team found. Respondents also reported mental health challenges related to poor communication in the workplace, poor work-life balance and time spent in meetings.
The sharp rise in mental health issues signals a need for services and support. But employee assistance programs, which many employers rely on to help workers cope with mental health problems, are widely underutilizednoted an expert.
One reason may be the stigma associated with mental health issues or EAPs in particular, the expert said. Another is a lack of employee understanding of the value EAPs can provide, such as helping with depression or anxiety or helping employees deal with other life issues that contribute to that condition.
Organizations can improve employee accessibility early on by training new hires about their EAPs during onboarding, one attorney previously noted. Such training can be particularly important for frontline workers, who are not always open to receiving support for mental health issues. For example, they are more likely than their nonfrontline peers to say they don’t have a problem with anxiety and more likely to say they haven’t sought help, according to the meQuilibrium survey.
Conversely, when frontline workers experience disturbing levels of stress, anxiety or burnout, their first response is to take time off work, which they do reluctantly because it often means a loss of pay, meQuilibrium noted. Such findings underscore why organizations need to prioritize awareness and access to mental wellness benefits, Smith said.
Frontline workers are ahead in one important area. Research has shown that they develop significantly more resilience — the ability that protects workers from the risk of burnout — than non-frontline workers, meQuilibrium said.