Survey delves into reasons behind employees’ mental health issues
Money has emerged as the top reason for stress among Japanese employees, according to a new survey, which unveiled the impact of stress on workers' mental health.
The survey, released by Zurich Life Insurance Japan, found that 21.7% of Japanese employees have cited salary and bonuses as the cause of their stress at work, Nippon reported.
Others have cited job requirements (17.8%), interpersonal issues in the workplace (15.4%), and issues with work superiors (13.6%). The remaining factors for stress include:
- Work environment
- Interpersonal issues outside the workplace
- Issues with family members
- Company systemic issues
- Issues with subordinates
As a result of stress at work, 46.1% of the respondents said they felt mental health issues or anxiety, according to the poll, which surveyed 1,000 businesspeople.
Mental health of Japanese workers
Despite being the top reason for stress, the report discovered that financial concerns are only the second-highest cause of mental health issues among employees, with 38.4% of the respondents citing it.
The top reason for mental health issues and anxiety was revealed to be interpersonal issues in the workplace, as cited by 45.8% of the respondents, according to the Nippon report. Others cited:
- Burden of work responsibilities
- Concerns about illness and other physical issues
- Low tolerance for stress
- Stress of commuting
- Change in the work environment
- Interpersonal issues in private life
- Irregular lifestyle
How employees avoid stress
According to the survey, nearly half of the respondents (48.7%) have tried to avoid stress by taking it easy and relaxing when they took their paid vacation in the previous year, Nippon reported. Others also spent their paid vacation by:
- Travelling within Japan
- Doing cleaning, washing, and other housework
- Making time for their own interests
- Going shopping
- Going to the hospital
- Going to restaurants
- Returning to their hometown
- Going to concerts
- Playing sports, exercising
- Watching sports
- Going for a drive
- Travelling overseas
