Why younger employees won’t talk about mental health

Why younger employees won’t talk about mental health

Around 50% of the 20 to 29 age group of employees is concerned about the implications of admitting to a mental health condition to their career, according to a survey by TELUS Health.

Rather than new generations of employees being more vocal, concerns about speaking up were found to decrease among older staff: they were lower among 50-59 year-olds (34%), and lowest among the over 60s (29%).

Discrimination fears

The issue is one of perceptions, claims research lead at TELEUS Health, Paula Allen, a problem of a lack of trust: “The employer might have no stigma, they might not discriminate against anyone, but young workers fear that it will happen to them.”

Younger employees are more likely to value wellbeing support. In the survey, 35% of under 40s said they would take improved benefits in this area over a 10 per cent hike in their salary, compared with 22% of over 40s. 

Engaging early

EAPA UK chair, Karl Bennett said: “It’s in the early stages of their careers when they don’t have a track record of delivery that people most feel the need to impress, to demonstrate their value and their strengths. So it’s not surprising that talking about mental illness feels like a no-go area.

“EAPs can play an important role in helping HR support younger employees who are wary of admitting to stress and psychological ill-health. Actively promoting EAPs means staff know they can talk to a professional in confidence, at any stage of their concerns, be more proactive about making sure they find a healthy work/life balance and better understand and manage stress.

“HR should, in particular, be promoting the app-based options to engage with an EAP, as well as thinking about making use of younger role models in their promotional campaigns.”