New data released by CV-Library has found that Irish workers do not feel they receive adequate mental health support in the workplace.
Almost half of Irish workers (49pc) said that elements of their work have made them feel anxious or depressed, new data released by jobs website CV-Library has revealed.
CV-Library surveyed 1,100 Irish workers about various topics concerning mental illness in the workplace and found that, despite the issue being widespread, two-thirds (62pc) of Irish workers stated that they do not believe enough is being done within Irish workplaces to support mental health.
A little more than one-third (34.5pc) have even considered resigning from their post due to the lack of support offered by their employer.
Bar the obvious duty of care that employers have towards their employees, placing more emphasis on providing a better system to support mental health could be one way to battle the ‘war for talent’ most tech companies are waging right now. The majority (85.7pc) of Irish professionals said they believe employers should offer mental health sick days for staff, and 72.4pc agreed they would be more likely to work for a company that did.
Commenting on the results, Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “It’s concerning to learn that professionals in Ireland aren’t feeling supported by their employers when it comes to their mental health and it’s clear more needs to be done to tackle this.
“It’s a sad reality that mental health problems can affect all areas of life. But, if you’re struggling to cope at work, it’s important that you don’t suffer in silence.”
Concerningly, the ubiquity of mental health issues hasn’t done anything to quash stigma within the workplace, as 60.8pc of those surveyed said they did not feel they could talk to their bosses about their mental health. Almost all (92.2pc) said they feel guilty for taking time off work for mental health reasons, despite the fact that penalising such behaviour would amount to discrimination.
91.7pc of respondents said they believe employers should receive training in understanding how to help employees who may be suffering from mental illness. Additionally, respondents cited the following as measures they hoped organisations would implement:
- promote a healthy work-life balance (48.3pc)
- have an internal counselling service for staff (20.7pc)
- create an environment where mental health is not stigmatised (17.2pc)
- talk more openly about mental health (7pc)
- allow them to take time out when they need to (4pc)
