Education workers feel the most stress of all workers and often feel a sense of dread at work

• 93% Education workers experience stress at least once a month
• 83% Education workers feel a sense of dread about work at least once a month
• Fear of being overwhelmed by expectations to take on more job roles is a key driver of dread for over one third of Education workers (55%)
• Managers negatively affect Education worked mental health through their lack of understanding of life outside work (47%), followed by lack of respect of working hours (44%) and setting an unsustainable workload (41%)
• For those who have experienced stress within the past 12 months, 43% of construction workers would class their stress as ‘extreme stress’, meaning they experience stress every day 

 

Education employees feel emotionally impacted at work mostly by economic uncertainty 

• 46% of Education workers feel that economic uncertainty is one of the top global trends impacting their emotional health at work, followed by inequities towards marginalised communities (43%)
• A third (33%) of Education workers feel that Political uncertainty and Covid-19 (29%) are two of the top global trends impacting their emotional health at work 
• Many employees are still feeling unsettled due to instability and constant change following the pandemic and this is continuing to get worse with 30% of construction workers feeling worse than they did last year  

 

What is most interesting, is that in terms of mental health support, Education workers would mostly value in-person, virtual, or app-based talk therapy (46%) and with this, they want to speak to behavioural health coaches, therapists or psychiatrists who share their life experience (45%,) and they want the support to be available quickly (44%).

 

Russell Glass, CEO at Headspace states: “Workplace mental health continues to be a top three business priority, with employees and CEOs experiencing frequent levels of stress due to market uncertainty and growing workplace pressures. In response, companies must not only ensure they have robust mental health and wellbeing programs in place, but that their leaders are tending to their own mental health, fostering open conversations with their teams, and helping to reduce stigma in the workplace.”

Earlier this year, Headspace launched International Care as part of its employer offering. The solution is designed with an emphasis on preventative care, guaranteeing employers and their staff  24/7 access to dedicated mental health professionals in under two minutes.

The in-app platform provides employees with 1000+ hours of on-demand meditation and mindfulness exercises, access to text-based behavioural health coaching within 2 minutes, counselling (in-person, telephone and video) and EAP services (which covers issues ranging from eldercare and childcare to financial and legal support), all of which are scalable depending on the needs of the individual, and are regularly assessed by qualified Headspace Care Coordinators. 

 

For many, the entry to mental healthcare through the Headspace app acts as a soft introduction to coaching and therapy which may previously not have been considered. Companies can also experience significant financial benefit by using this stepped-care approach which can help to mitigate mental issues before they arise, resulting in less absence and a happier and healthier workforce.