Mental Health Related Leaves-Of-Absence Up 300% Since 2017

New studies show that mental health and well-being are continuing to decline in 2024. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five Americans (57.8 million in 2021) were living with some type of mental illness in 2023, ranging from mild to moderate to severe anxiety and depression. Anxiety is the highest reported mental health disorder in the U.S. with 42.5 million Americans suffering from this illness. Several studies show that burnout is rising and mental health plunging and mental health leaves are going through the roof in 2024.

Lyra Health’s 2024 State of Workforce Mental Health Report finds that nearly four years after Covid-19, employees face a daunting task of managing the aftermath of a global crisis while balancing their work and personal lives. With mounting stressors like inflation, mass layoffs and a feeling of helplessness amid international wars and climate-related disasters, the report concludes that employees need more support.

Study # 1 Job Burnout

According to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence survey, four in 10 workers in the U.S. say they are burned out on the job. Project managers have an even higher rate of burn out as those working in healthcare and social services, the report shows. And half of workers in those roles say they’re experiencing burnout, often the result of overwhelming workplace stress without a resolution.

The findings further show that onsite workers are more likely to burn out than hybrid or remote workers, and employees of large corporations are more likely to burn out than those at smaller companies. Younger workers are also more likely to experience burnout than their older peers, and women are more likely to report burnout than their male colleagues.

Study # 2 Workplace Toxicity

Businesssolver’s 2024 Empathy Study surveyed over 3,000 employees, revealing how persistent stigma and workplace toxicity are intensifying the ongoing mental health crisis in today’s workplaces. According to the research, CEOs are burning out alongside their workforce. A staggering 55% of CEOs and 50% of employees have experienced a mental health issue in the past year. And 65% of Gen Z had a mental health issue in the past year. The research finds that, on average, 35% of employees and 52% of CEOs view their company’s culture as toxic.

Employees who stated their workplace is toxic are 47% more likely to cite mental health issues. Likewise, a stigma is present across how employees and CEOs view mental health in the workplace along with potential psychological safety issues that contribute to workplace toxicity while preventing employees from demonstrating empathy among colleagues.

The report says the longer the empathy and mental health stigmas persist in the workplace, the harsher the consequences for business performance and talent retention.

• 88% say they would be willing to stay with their organization if it empathized with their needs
• 70% believe that a company’s financial performance is linked to empathy.
• 65% say it would be easy for them to find a new job if they quit their current organization.
• 52% would even be willing to take slightly less pay for a more empathetic employer.

Study # 3 Mental Health Leaves Of Absence Skyrocketing

ComPsych, the largest provider of employee mental health and absence management services, released new data that shows mental health related leaves of absence continue to skyrocket among U.S. workers. From 2017 to 2023, mental health leaves of absence have increased by 300%. In 2023 alone, mental health related leaves of absence increased by 33% over the prior year. In 2023, women took nearly seven in ten (69%) of all mental health related leaves of absence. Millennial women accounted for one-third (33%) of 2023 mental health related leaves of absence, followed by Gen X women, who accounted for 30%.

More than one in ten (11%) of all leaves of absence were due to mental health, representing a 22% increase in mental health leaves versus those taken in the first quarter of 2023. As in earlier ComPsych data, this trend is being driven by female workers. While women accounted for 69% of all mental health leaves of absence in 2023, in Q1 of 2024, that number ticked up even higher to 71%. More Americans took mental health related leaves of absence in Q1 of 2024 than those for accidents, cancer, Covid-19, heart disease and heart attack combined.

“Our data shows that millennial and Gen X women are most likely to need a mental health related leave of absence,” says Richard A. Chaifetz, founder, CEO and chairman of ComPsych. “HR teams must invest in resources and programming that relates to issues commonly faced by these demographics: from the pressures of managing teams, the stress of buying a home for the first time, acclimating back at work as a new parent or worrying about care for aging relatives.”

Chaifetz concludes, “As the leader in the integration of mental health and leave administration, we have a unique view into how these two areas intersect. It’s clear that proactively investing in employee mental health is a key strategy for HR teams trying to mitigate the cost and impact of employee leaves of absence.”