'Languishing': Report highlights financial costs of joyless stagnation among employees

New report reveals one in five Australians 'languishing'

'Languishing': Report highlights financial costs of joyless stagnation among employees

One in five Australians are in a state of "languishing," according to a new report, which warned employers about the financial toll of this condition on employees.

Languishing is a psychological term that refers to a state of joyless stagnation, emptiness, and low well-being, without the symptoms of mental illness.

It was first coined in 2002 by sociologist Dr. Corey Keyes and returned to the spotlight by organisational psychologist Dr. Adam Grant who identified it as a response by many people during the COVID pandemic.

In Australia, Be Well Co carried out a survey among 16,000 Aussies to find that 20% of them are in a state of languishing without mental illness.

Dr. Matthew Iasiello, one of the co-authors of the report, said the impact of languishing extends to workplaces.

"It feeds into decreased productivity and engagement, and contributes to a negative work environment and significant financial costs," he said in a statement.

According to the report, employees who are languishing at work are:

  • Never or rarely felt they were filled with energy when they are at work (21%)
  • Never or rarely feel enthusiasm for the work they do (13%)
  • Rarely or never felt immersed in their work (14%)
  • Unsatisfied with work relationships (5%)
  • Unsatisfied with their job in general (5%)
  • Twice as likely to experience burnout

"Each languishing employee costs employers thousands of dollars annually, contributing to Australia's $70 billion mental health claim burden," Iasiello said.

Addressing 'languishing' at work

To address languishing at work, the Be Well Co report recommended the protect, respond, and promote framework.

"Organisations and businesses have come a long way to improve what they do to protect and respond to risk in the workplace," the report read. "Promoting workplace wellbeing is the complementary and much-needed piece to that puzzle."

Source: Stuck in Neutral: Languishing and its impact on Australia

Dr. Joep van Agteren, co-author of the Be Well report, said languishing is not only a significant risk factor for future mental [illness].

"It is a form of suffering in the now, as it significantly impacts how we behave in day-to-day life, the way we interact with people and how we feel and perform at work."

Addressing languishing as an early warning sign can also help alleviate the worsening mental health crisis in Australia, according to van Agteren.

"Catching it before it morphs into mental illness, provides an incredible opportunity to help fix the problem early, or at least vastly improve it," he said.