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NEW YORK, March 14 (Reuters) – Companies around the
globe have work to do to improve worker satisfaction because
three in 10 employees say their workplace is not psychologically
safe and healthy, according to a new poll.
Whether it is due to stress, interpersonal conflict,
frustration, lack of feedback or promotion, 27 percent of
workers in 24 countries said they are not happy with the
psychological aspects of their work environment, the survey by
research company Ipsos for Reuters showed.
“Employers need to pay attention to their employees’ mental
health, not just their physical health,” said Alexandra
Evershed, senior vice president, Ipsos Public Affairs. “Three in
10 is still a fairly large proportion and that goes up to 44
percent and 43 percent in Argentina and Mexico and 42 percent in
Hungary,”
Nearly half, 47 percent, of the total of 14,618 workers
polled agreed that their workplace was ‘a psychologically safe
and healthy environment to work in’ and 26 percent hovered on
the fence and weren’t sure.
Although many North Americans have fewer holidays than
Europeans and may work longer hours and enjoy fewer social
services, Americans and Canadians had the highest marks for
positively assessing the mental health of their workplace,
followed by workers in India, Australia, Great Britain and South
Africa.
Evershed suggested that the improving economies in some
countries could have played a part in the positive assessment
among employees.
“It’s better than it was,” she said in an interview. “India,
China, Brazil, South Africa, these are countries where the
economic picture has been brightening.”
Older workers over 50 with a good household income who have
completed a higher level of education were the most satisfied
with the psychological aspects of their workplace.
“This is an online survey therefore in countries like
Brazil, South Africa and China we are surveying people who are a
bit better off.”
Ipsos polled workers in Argentina, Australia, Belgium,
Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Britain, Hungary, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia,
South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United
States.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; editing by Paul Casciato)
