Most Americans Working Full-Time Report Feeling Stressed at Work

According to a recent Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Welltok, working Americans feel stressed about work and want employer support in their efforts to improve or maintain their personal wellbeing. Sixty-four percent of employed Americans say they feel stressed at work. A third (33%, strongly agree/agree) say that work stress is negatively impacting their life and a similar proportion (35%) have seriously considered changing their work situation due to stress. Even though 65% of employed Americans say they believe companies should be responsible for helping their employees manage or reduce workplace stress, only a third (33%) say that their employer offers them tools and resources to help them reduce work stress.

Full time workers say it is personally important to them that their employer offers programs and resources that support emotional health (63%), financial health (63%), and physical health (63%). Employed Americans are less likely to want social connectedness support from their employers (48%). Nearly seven in ten (69%) report that over the past couple of years they have increased their use of technology to manage or support their health.

Almost six in ten (58%) full-time working Americans say they feel their direct manager supports their efforts to improve or maintain their health and wellbeing; while 42% feel otherwise. However, only 16% strongly agree that they know where to find all the health and wellbeing resources their employer offers. When it comes to ways that companies can help motivate employers to complete health-related activities, extra vacation time (74%), flexible work schedule (62%), and wellness benefits (55%) are the most popular non-traditional choices. Discounts on local activities and goods (50%), raffles for large gifts (45%), sporting events (35%) and lottery tickets (33%) are also ways to motivate employees to complete activities that promotes healthy habits.

Just over eight in ten (82%) strongly agree/agree/somewhat agree that if their employer offered more relevant health and wellbeing programs, they would participate more. However, more than eight in ten (84%) say they feel that everyone at their company gets offered the same health and wellbeing resources and 56% report that their employer has offered health and wellbeing resources that are not relevant to them.

Looking forward to 2019, 55% of employed Americans state that financial stability is their top health and wellbeing priority of 2019. Other popular priorities include healthy eating habits (46%), positive work and family relationships (41%), appropriate level of physical activity (40%), and adequate sleep (36%). Working Americans also want manageable stress levels (26%), control over existing health conditions (17%), and to find a higher purpose (13%).