A new study highlights concerning statistics on workplace wellbeing in Asia
In Asia, workers face heavy workloads, cost-of-living pressure, new ways of working, and a range of COVID-19 impacts. Combined with mental health stigma, these factors could account for the steady decline in emotional wellbeing among Asia’s employees, with 51% saying they feel more sensitive to stress compared to last year according to new data.
Aon and TELUS Health have released their inaugural Asia Mental Health Index Report, which surveyed workers across 12 locations in Asia. The data reveals that 82% of workers in Asia have a high to moderate mental health risk and 54% believe their career options would be limited if their employer was aware of their mental illness.
The report also reveals that mental health risk is generally higher among women, and higher for those who are under 30 or work in a non-management role.
With 45% of surveyed employees saying their mental health issues are impacting their productivity at work, it is clear that employers who do not put strategies in place to mitigate mental health risk will face significant costs, ranging from high employee turnover to rising mental health claims and costly insurance premiums.
Stress, anxiety and burnout play a particularly important role in driving down productivity, with 33% of surveyed workers saying they find it difficult to concentrate on their work and 47% saying they end their day feeling physically and/or mentally exhausted.
Tim Dwyer, CEO of Health Solutions, Asia Pacific at Aon says that dismissing the impact of mental health risk in the workplace is not an option. “Lack of support and the stigma attached to mental health issues are key barriers that ensure employees’ mental health issues remain unresolved,” he says. “Organisations must therefore address these issues head-on while developing an integrated strategy informed by data and insights.”
Mental health in Asia: the challenges
While mental health is a top employee wellbeing issue across APAC, the Asia Mental Health Index describes mental health stigma in Asia as an “overwhelming problem for workplaces and society.”
The report reveals that stigma is a major barrier preventing employees from accessing support, with many respondents saying they are concerned about what others would think of them if they had a mental health issue and people knew about it. For example, 49% say they would worry that their friends and family would treat them differently if they knew they had mental health issues, and 49% report that they would feel negatively about themselves.
The report also suggests a cultural shift is needed; that leaders need to start talking more openly about mental health issues, so employees can ask for help and receive it without fear of negative consequences.
However, even when workers look for support, they face barriers to access. 43% of respondents cite cost as the biggest barrier to accessing mental health support, with lack of information and knowledge about where to get help also a significant issue.
TELUS Health managing director of APAC Jamie MacLennan says that businesses need to play a key role in providing access to mental health support – and currently, they are not doing enough.
“The prevalence of overwhelming and crippling levels of stress within the workplace simply cannot go ignored; far too many people in Asia are dealing with elevated stress, anxiety, isolation and depression, which has a direct correlation to workplace productivity,” MacLennan says.
““Many businesses are still not taking the mental health of their staff seriously and when not addressed and supported will lead to decreased productivity and increased absenteeism and presenteeism. Addressing the mental health and wellbeing of staff is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – rather, it is a commercial imperative.”
Despite this, there is some good news – Aon’s 2022-2023 Global Wellbeing Report shows that investment in wellbeing has increased globally since 2020, and Asia is no exception.
The Asia Pacific region has seen a 49% increase in wellbeing investment – higher than the EU/UK figure of 42%. Insights from the Asia Mental Health Index Report will help to improve the understanding of employee mental health risks among business leaders, so they can make better decisions that drive workforce resilience. Read the full Asia Mental Health Index Report. To learn about key data and insights for Asia Pacific, register for the upcoming webinar.
