Remote work has many positives and benefits, but it doesn’t come without its fair share of challenges.
Since remote work was extensively introduced with the spread of COVID-19, there has been an effect on workers’ mental health.
It is clear mental health matters and that caring for it will also help workers perform better in their jobs.
So, how are employees feeling working from home? What are employers doing in terms of offering mental health support?
Read on to find out about remote work mental health statistics.
12 Remote Work Mental Health Statistics
1. 56% of employees say they can talk openly to their colleagues and supervisors about their mental health.
The APA survey from 2021 shows a downfall in this from the same period in 2020 when 65% of employees said they could talk about the same problem with their colleagues and 62% to their supervisors. The stigma in the workplace is still a big problem for companies.
Source: American Psychiatric Association
2. 54% of workers say that their employer has become more accommodating to their health, and 13% said less.
It is important that employers understand that they can help and that they can do so by managing employees with mental health issues. This could even mean offering further resources and services to those affected. However, the APA research found that only 20% offer further services to their employees in need.
Source: American Psychiatric Association
3. 28% of employees report that their employer has become more supportive during the pandemic.
While this is encouraging, it is also worrying that 9% said their employers were less supportive and that 31% didn’t know the answer to the question. Employers need to show their support and make it understandable for employees to take time off work if they do not feel well mentally.
Source: American Psychiatric Association
4. 65% of employees think their employers are offering enough mental health care resources.
Mental health needs to be cared for, so the remaining 35% have a lot of space for improvement. Also, only 64% of surveyed employees said they feel comfortable utilizing those resources for mental health care.
Source: American Psychiatric Association
5. 80% of employees would consider changing for a job that is more focused on the mental well-being of employees.
According to remote work mental health statistics data from TELUS, the Coronavirus pandemic has increased the level of stress for workers who had to drop their office and start working from home, according to COVID remote work statistics.
Source: TELUS International
6. Due to the pandemic, over 1 in 2 employees have already taken a mental health day off work.
More than half of respondents of the TELUS survey reported that they had to take off a day from work for the well-being of their mental health. It is worrying that so many have had their mental health compromised from working from home that they had to skip work.
Source: TELUS International
7. 45% of workers report they feel less mentally healthy since working from home during the pandemic.
Some of the reasons as to why remote workers might be feeling unwell mentally since working from home are the fact they are overworking and that it is worrying thinking about the health and wellbeing of everyone due to the ongoing pandemic. Moreover, 4 out of 5 workers, i.e. 80%, find it hard to shut off after office hours.
Source: TELUS International
8. 76% of workers say that working during the pandemic is taking a toll on their mental health.
As employees have stressful days at work, it also negatively affects their mental health. After all, it is concerning that three-quarters of workers find that stress takes a toll on their mental health, according to remote work mental health statistics.
Source: FlexJobs
9. 43% believe that the best way to support workers is to offer mental health days.
Burnout at work is a common occurrence for employees as they continue to work while a pandemic is raging across the planet. To reduce remote work burnout, 43% of FlexJobs survey takers believe companies should support employees by offering mental health days.
Source: FlexJobs
10. 74% of workers say that poor mental health affected their productivity while working from home.
While many are reporting that their productivity has increased since working from home, some say that their poor mental health managed to impact their productivity. It is also possible that overworking affected the mental well-being of workers which then, in turn, affected their productivity.
Source: Aetna International
11. 40% of workers are concerned that lack of socializing will have a negative effect on some workers’ mental health.
Since they have been working from home, workers have not had the time or opportunity to socialize with their colleagues. And according to 4 in 10 workers, there is concern that this might impact their mental health negatively.
Source: Aetna International
12. 77% of workers say their mental health would be better if they were offered remote work and flexible hours.
The stress in the workplace can negatively affect the mental health of workers. That is why almost 8 in 10 believe that their mental health would improve if they were given flexible hours and were allowed to work remotely. This is according to a 2018 survey by FlexJobs.
Source: FlexJobs
Final Verdict
To sum up, since the pandemic has started, there has been a rise in employees reporting the negative effect of remote work on their mental health. However, if they set boundaries and worked on managing their stress levels, remote work and flexible hours could become a benefit. What is more, at this moment, what is adding to the poor mental health is the fact that they are working while living through a global pandemic. Once the pandemic is done, remote work could have many more positive influences on workers’ mental health.
