FT: Mental health problems are spreading like an epidemic, and it shows in the workplace

Mental health problems have become a real epidemic in the world. It means a lot of lost working days and costs.

Mental health problems are now increasing in workplaces all over the world at an alarming rate. The worst situation is in companies in the financial sector. Tells about it The Financial Times -lehti.

According to it, it is already such a serious problem that it is starting to have significant economic effects.

The world loses 12 billion working days every year due to depression and anxiety, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). According to them, this means a cost to the global economy of one trillion dollars, or just under one trillion euros.

A study carried out by the consulting company Deloitte in Britain this year says that the worst problems are currently in jobs in the finance and insurance industries. There, as many as 17 percent of the employees met all three signs of burnout, i.e. exhaustion, decreased performance and mental distance from their work. The corresponding share in workplaces was 12 percent on average.

According to it, in the finance and insurance sector, this meant costs of around 5,379 pounds or 6,480 euros per employee, i.e. more than double what in any other industry. Deloitte’s survey included 14 industries.

“The problem the size range is hugely worrying, especially among young people,” said the professor of epidemiology at the University of York Kate Pickett FT:lle.

According to Pickett, it’s not that the measurement results indicate an increase in mental health problems because it’s more acceptable to talk about them today. According to him, the increase in mental health problems is so huge that something is really happening.

According to the FT, the mental health crisis is underpinned by, among other things, the rising cost of living and the pervasive influence of social media. At the same time, companies have begun to pay more attention to the well-being of employees than before.

The increase in mental health problems has already continued for longer in this millennium, and after the corona pandemic the situation has worsened according to the WHO. According to it, cases of depression increased by 25 percent between 2020 and 2021.

According to the WHO, the situation has not yet returned to the pre-pandemic level.