Young employees are struggling with stress, and they need their employer's help
If you haven’t been inspired during Mental Health Awareness Month, perhaps this will motivate you to re-assess and improve your mental health resources for employees.
Bloomberg reports that Gen Z – those born between 1997 to 2012 – has taken 32% of the global population, beating millennials. Furthermore, market research company McCrindle expects Gen Z to make up 27% of the workforce by 2025. That’s a large pool of talent you’ll be recruiting from, and in order to win those potential employees over, you’ll have to significantly invest in benefits and perks that support the holistic wellbeing of your workforce.
Read more: Gen Z: How to attract the next generation of employees
According to the Pew Research Center, Gen Z was the generation expected to inherit a strong economy with record-low unemployment. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the generation faces an uncertain future. That’s why a third of millennials and Gen Z respondents have taken time off due to work stress and anxiety, according to a recent Deloitte survey. Meanwhile, 40% feel their employers did a poor job of supporting their mental well-being during the pandemic.
A company that promotes a work-life balance is something that Gen Z applicants are after. Allowing employees to create healthy boundaries on how much they work keeps them mentally and physically fit. Companies can achieve this by encouraging employees to use their leave credits, cultivating a workplace culture that is mindful of employees' workloads and deadlines and offering wellness programs like employee assistance programs (EAPs).
In fact, EAPs may just be the most powerful tool employers have to meet the diversified needs of their employees. According to MetLife data, employees who were offered an EAP by their employer were 34% more likely to say their mental health has improved in the last 12 months and 18% more likely to feel holistically healthy.
EAPs have risen in popularity over the past two years. They provide counseling, referrals, assessments and follow-up check-ins for employees dealing with a multitude of issues: drug abuse, alcoholism, financial problems, legal troubles, job stress, personal problems, separation and loss and family violence. Usually, the program is also offered to employees’ family members who are struggling mentally and emotionally.
Learn more ways to attract the next generation of employees here.
