Study shows how the workplace wellbeing of young people has been overlooked

Harry Bliss, founder of Champion Health, told The Yorkshire Post that there were many reasons for higher levels of anxiety in this age group.

He added: “One of the biggest ones is around financial wellbeing. I’m in that age bracket at the moment, I’m 27-years-old, and house prices have never been so high in proportion to the average salary. People are struggling with their finances.”

This age group won’t have experienced the level of change that has taken place in the workplace that older demographics may have.

Mr Bliss said: “Young people from our findings have struggled to adapt to that a little bit more.

“We are starting to see an increased trend in young people struggling with their mental wellbeing.”

Organisations are not getting the most out of young people as a result of this trend, Mr Bliss says.

In fact, more than 28 per cent across all age groups said high stress was impacting their productivity.

He said: “What our data is showing us at the moment is we’re not getting the best out of those people, they are highly stressed as well and they are at high risk of leaving our organisations.

“What we know is the new generation of workers are going to be absolutely vital to our businesses’ success going forward.

“They’re going to bring the technology and expertise that this new generation has, all the way through to being able to grow that business over time as well.

“There is more that needs to be done to support the 25-34 year-old population and one of the key areas is for organisations to recognise that and then focus on it in their policies and practices.”

Across the board, more than half of respondents in Champion Health’s survey of 2,200 UK employees said that they felt ‘fatigued’ and 53 per cent reported that tiredness was impacting their productivity at work.

While employers have “a lot on their plate”, Mr Bliss says the wellbeing of the workforce is “paramount”.

He added: “The first thing is the business case. Even in this report it shows mental wellbeing and high levels of mental wellbeing, better levels of sleep correlate with productivity and performance.

“If we have happier, healthier workforces, we’re going to have healthier businesses as well, through improved productivity, enhanced sales, more creativity all the way through to being that employer of choice.

“The second thing is the moral case. As a CEO myself, I need to make sure I am doing everything I can possibly do to support my team. People spend a third of their lives at work. We want to make it a place where they flourish and they can grow and develop.

“The third area is then the legal responsibility – which is increasing year-on-year. If you have five or more employees, you must conduct a stress risk assessment and you must look to act upon it.”

Overall, around 60 per cent of workers said they felt anxious and females are more likely to feel anxious.

Champion Health will be hosting a virtual event to share actionable advice following the report’s findings on February 1.

To sign up, visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6616425093484/WN_3cD0rXzVR2mPwRlAyKjxVA.

Emotional intelligence vital

Businesses are being urged to have “clear communication” with employees and to hire line managers who have high levels of emotional intelligence.

Harry Bliss said: “That’s absolutely vital so they know how to have the conversations, they know to pick up certain clues of when someone is struggling for example and they know how to support that individual if they are struggling.

“We also need to do more on the proactive side. At the moment we look at mental health often as a reactive thing – looking at it when something goes wrong. What we need to do is really focus on how we can keep people well if they are well and thriving.”

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James Mitchinson