August 19, 2019
Mental health concerns mean two thirds of men consider quitting job
A new study from job board CV-Library claims that men across the UK have reached breaking point in their careers, with nearly two thirds (61 percent) wanting to quit their job because it’s affecting their mental health. The survey explored the views of 2,000 UK workers and found that although more women (35.4 percent) say they suffer with mental health problems than men (21.2 percent), men are more likely to feel the effects of poor mental health in the workplace. Around 82 percent of men claim that it affects their working life, compared to 68 percent of women.Â
Despite struggling in the workplace, six in ten men (60.9 percent) feel like they can’t discuss their mental health problems with their line managers and executives. When asked the reasons for this, respondents cited the following:
- Four in ten (43.8 percent) believe their professional abilities would be questioned
- A further 40.6 percent think that their boss doesn’t understand mental illness
- What’s more, 39.1 percent fear their employer would judge them if they spoke out about their mental health issues
Interestingly, men ranked a medical professional as who they’d be most likely to talk to about their mental health (46.1 percent), whereas women said they would be most likely to turn to their friends (39 percent).
After colleagues, both genders listed their boss as the person who they’d be least likely to talk to, underlining that employers need to take a leading role in addressing this issue. Male respondents suggested that the following would make the working day less stressful:
- Promote a healthy work/life balance (54.3 percent)
- Refer employees to a counselling service (39.8 percent)
- Reduce pressure to work longer hours (36.4 percent)
- Allow employees to take time out when they need to (31.2 percent)
- Talk more openly about health (30.1 percent)
