Employee mental health: finding solutions in the data
We asked 3,635 employees from 15 organisations where their mental health sat and what was affecting it. The answers show a workforce where most people are managing, one in five are struggling, and the issues behind decline reach well beyond work.
Published
At a glanceSix findings from 3,635 employees
- 01Most employees are managing, without thriving. 65% sit in the middle of the continuum, at Sound (31%) or Marginal (34%). They are functioning, often without energy, drive and positivity.
- 0215% sit at the top two levels. 3% report Very High and 12% High mental health and wellbeing.
- 03One in five sit at Low or Very Low. That 20% is consistent with Australian Bureau of Statistics and Beyond Blue surveys, which found 20–25% of employees report experiencing mental health problems.
- 045% sit at Very Low. This is approximately the rate at which employees access traditional Employee Assistance Programs and other services that rely on individuals reaching out for professional help.
- 05Work is rarely the root cause at the Very Low end. 53% of people at this level named personal relationship problems as their primary underlying issue. Only 2% named work-related issues.
- 06The causes widen as you move up the continuum. Anxiety, depression and stress, relationships, caring for relatives, work pressure and concerns about older children and teens all appear.
How the data was collectedA measure of individual mental health, and what is behind it
Life Street assessed the mental wellbeing of employees to obtain a measure of individual mental health and the factors impacting it, to inform ongoing program development. The data was provided by 3,635 employees from 15 organisations, through a digital program for employers and employees supported by mental health professionals.
Each employee’s responses were used in two ways. First, to place their mental health on a six-level measure covering the full continuum, from Very High/Flourishing through to Very Low/Psychological Distress and Dysfunction. Second, to identify the primary issue impacting their mental wellbeing.
The figures reflect a snapshot in time for each individual, and they show a common profile of employee populations.
Mental health levelsThe six levels of employee mental health
The measure covers the mental health continuum in six levels. This is how the 3,635 employees were distributed across it.
| Share | Level | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 3% | Very High | Strong sense of wellbeing, life engagement, positive emotions, energy, emotional openness, control and focus. |
| 12% | High | Energetic and engaged with positive emotions, high emotional control/regulation and external focus. |
| 31% | Sound | Managing and functioning without mental disturbance but without energy, drive and positivity. |
| 34% | Marginal | Managing and functioning with some mental disturbance, distraction and concerns. Energy, drive and outlook is compromised. |
| 15% | Low | Mood and emotional concerns with difficulties in life and personal functioning, indicative of stress and some psychological disturbance. |
| 5% | Very Low | Significant and pervasive difficulties in life and personal functioning, indicative of a psychological disorder. |
Reading the resultsMental health is a continuum, not a yes or no
When looking at these levels, it is important to understand that most people move across a range of them. The range each person generally lives in depends on their personal make-up and vulnerabilities, and movement across that range is triggered by life events and circumstances.
That is why the prevalence of “mental health problems” depends on how the term is defined. On this data it can be said to sit at approximately 5%, through to 20% and beyond.
Very Low. Approximately the rate at which employees access traditional EAPs and other services that are reactive, relying on individuals to reach out for professional help.
Low and Very Low combined. Consistent with ABS and Beyond Blue surveys finding 20–25% of employees report experiencing mental health problems.
Between those two figures sits a large group. Taken together, Marginal and Low account for 49% of employees: people whose energy, drive, mood or day-to-day functioning is affected, but who sit above the Very Low level.
For most people experiencing a mental health disorder, their mental health deteriorated over time to the Low or Very Low level. The decline is gradual, which means there are earlier points at which it can be noticed and addressed.
Contributing factorsWhat sits behind declining mental health
We also asked each employee to identify the primary issue impacting their mental wellbeing. The key findings were:
- 01At Very Low, relationships lead. For the 5% at Very Low wellbeing, the primary factor was personal relationship problems and concerns, with 53% of those at this level reporting it as their primary (underlying) problem. In contrast, only 2% of the Very Low group reported work-related issues as their primary concern.
- 02Adding Low widens the picture. When the Low level is included, anxiety, depression and stress was the primary issue for 20%, relationship issues remained the primary issue for 17%, and caring for and supporting relatives (young, old and with chronic health conditions) was the primary issue for another 17%. The remaining 46% had other life, work and personal issues as their primary issue.
- 03At Marginal, the range expands greatly. For example, 4% named managing work pressure as their major mental wellbeing derailer, and 3% named concerns about older children and teens.
This data shows the inadequacy of late stage, reactive EAP counselling programs that, by their nature, focus on mental distress (disturbed mood and thinking patterns), as opposed to integrated programs built on early intervention systems that address causes.
What the data tells usThree key points for employee mental health
- 01Mental health levels show a common profile in today’s workforce. Mental health is not binary. It is a continuum, and generally an individual’s mental health moves within a range on that continuum. Depending on how “mental health problems” is defined, prevalence sits at approximately 5% through to 20% and beyond. For most people experiencing a mental health disorder, their mental health deteriorated over time to Low or Very Low.
- 02Contributing factors show the range of issues behind decline. When we move back from looking only at the end state of psychological stress, distress and disorder, and look at contributing factors instead, we see a range of life, personal and work issues that most commonly give rise to mental health decline.
- 03The early stages offer the best way to address it. The early stages of mental health disruption and deterioration provide the best way to address this issue, by stopping mental health decline in individuals before it becomes debilitating and embedded. This requires going beyond a program that is essentially a counselling safety net, to a program that integrates preventive and early intervention strategies with professional help.
Paul FlanaganRegistered Psychologist and founder of Life Street, Paul has more than 30 years’ experience in clinical and organisational psychology, working with organisations, managers and employees in Australia, New Zealand and globally. He has been appointed multiple times as President of EAPAA and to the Board of the Australian Psychological Society. Meet the team
