Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

StressMental health conditionsLatest NewsWellbeing

Mental Health Awareness Week: 28% of millennials ‘work through stress’

by Ashleigh Webber 14 May 2018
by Ashleigh Webber 14 May 2018

Millennials – those aged between 18 and 38 – feel under the most pressure at work, with more than a quarter (28%) stating that working through stress was expected in their workplace, according to mental health organisations. 

A poll of more than 4,000 people, the results of which have been released to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, revealed a quarter of millennials said they put their health at risk to do their job, compared with 18% of baby boomers – those aged between 53 and 71.

Across both generations, just 14% of workers felt comfortable speaking to their manager about their stress levels.

Mental health

Boardroom leadership is the key to lower employee stress

Mental health risk: employers and insurers need a joined-up approach

The survey, commissioned by Mental Health Foundation and Mental Health First Aid England, also found 34% of millennials admitted they had been less productive at work due to stress, versus only 19% of baby boomers.

“Millennials are more likely to have insecure contracts, low rates of pay and high entry-level workloads,” claimed Richard Grange, spokesperson for the Mental Health Foundation. “The pressures they face in today’s employment market are very different to past generations.”

Jaan Madan, workplace lead at Mental Health First Aid England, said more needed to be done to translate awareness of employee mental health issues into action.

“Coping with stress in the workplace starts with being able to have a conversation with your manager, and in a mentally healthy organisation everyone should feel comfortable talking about stress,” added Madan.

Separately, Business in the Community (BITC) has been urging employees to share their experiences of mental health at work by responding to its Mental Health at Work Survey 2018, which launches today (14 May).

BITC hopes that the survey, which is being conducted in partnership with Mercer Marsh Benefits, will help tackle the stigma associated with discussing mental health issues at work, increase acceptance and understanding, and improve support for those with a mental health condition.

Despite 2017’s survey finding that 60% of employees had experienced a mental health issue because of their work, there was still a disconnect between how well senior management believed their organisation was doing to support those with conditions and what was happening in practice, according to BITC wellbeing director Louise Aston.

“That’s why we need a diverse range of people to take part in the Mental Health at Work 2018 survey to give us the best picture of what is happening in the UK, because thinking about mental health from different perspectives will help us to truly understand it,” she said.

The first annual survey was in 2016, but Aston said there had been slow progress since then. Last year’s study discovered that while 84% of managers accepted that the wellbeing of their staff was their responsibility, only 24% had received mental health training.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Where employees had informed their manager about a mental health issue, 15% of cases resulted in the employee facing disciplinary procedures, demotion or dismissal.

The 2018 survey will run until 27 July and the findings will be published ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October.

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
E-learning: Why employees expect a Netflix experience
next post
Number of employers planning to recruit rises to five-year high

You may also like

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

Awareness weeks fuel spike in demand for mental...

19 May 2025

Four ways employers can reduce the risk of...

14 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Two-thirds of school leaders suffering mental ill health

6 May 2025

‘Healthy work’ about much more than access to...

28 Apr 2025

Call for better mental health support for NHS...

17 Apr 2025

Computer says no: IT woes giving employees sleepless...

15 Apr 2025

Nearly half did not take even one full...

14 Apr 2025

Quarter feel their employer is ineffective at managing...

11 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today