British employees under 40 are nearly twice as likely to consider leaving their job for better benefits, according to new research from Telus Health.
The global employee wellbeing solutions business surveyed 2,000 working Brits for its Mental health index to explore the impact of anxiety, stress, depression, turnover and flexibility.
It found that 41% of respondents are thinking about leaving their job, or are unsure, while they are nearly three times more likely than workers over 50 to consider leaving for a better job or career opportunity. Parents are nearly twice as likely as non-parents to report that better benefits are why they are considering leaving.
In addition, the research found that workers with diagnosed anxiety lose 57 working days in productivity per year, while those with diagnosed depression lose 58 working days in productivity per year. Employees with mental health conditions other than anxiety or depression lose 61 working days in productivity per year, and those with diagnosed sleep issues lose 52 working days in productivity per year.
Workers under 40 are twice as likely as those over 50 to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression, while women are 70% more likely than men to report being diagnosed with anxiety.
Meanwhile, 58% of office workers would prefer a five-day work week, with the ability to work remotely as much as they want, and 42% would prefer a four-day work week in the office.
Paula Allen, global leader and senior vice-president of research and total wellbeing at Telus Health, said: “By helping employees achieve an optimum point in their own personal health scale, employers will reap the benefits of lower cost, increased employee engagement and productivity.
“This means having accessible mental health support and services in place, communicating these services, and providing education to address stigma. It also means training managers on mental health in the workplace and their role in supporting it. Flexibility will show itself in many ways, so employers should work with employees, to determine the type of flexibility that is possible and most needed.”