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Workers share the top initiatives that have the most positive impact on their well-being. Kseniya Ovchinnikova—Getty Images
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HR teams, for the most part, are still figuring out what mental health benefits their workforce wants most. But recently shared survey data of more than 5,400 U.S. workers from Gallup and Bentley University sheds light on the policies workers say would have a positive impact on their well-being.
Seventy-seven percent of respondents say they favor a four-day, 40-hour workweek instead of five, stating such a benefit would have an extremely positive or somewhat positive effect. Seventy-four percent of workers say they are in favor of “mental health days,” where they can access paid time off for mental health reasons. And 73% are in favor of limiting the amount of work employees are expected to do outside of the workday.
Even the bottom three options—limiting the amount of time employees are expected to spend on work emails outside their working day, access to a number of free mental health counseling sessions, and offering free mental health screenings to employees—were all viewed favorably by the majority of workers. The least favored option among respondents is free mental health screenings. Still, 61% of those surveyed say such screenings have an extremely positive or somewhat positive impact on well-being.
Companies are increasingly turning their attention to mental wellness, and for good reason. In a May survey from the Conference Board, 34% of workers said their mental health was worse than it was six months prior. Issues like working 50 or more hours per week, inadequate work-life balance, and too much time spent in meetings were linked to worsened mental health.
Companies that offer benefits like mental health days or four-day workweeks have seen positive effects. Consulting firm Insigniam, which experimented with a four-day week, found that workers in the experiment group reported lower stress levels. Other employers, including NerdWallet and mental health startup Alma, offer paid time off for employees to take mental health or self-care days.
At hospitality staffing startup Qwick, job applications grew 230% month-over-month after announcing a four-day workweek pilot. Morale at the company also improved, it said, and the share of employees reporting feeling “well rested and ready for work on Monday mornings” increased by 32% just four months in.
Paige McGlauflin
paige.mcglauflin@fortune.com
@paidion
Reporter’s Notebook
The most compelling data, quotes, and insights from the field.
More Americans are reporting serious cognitive problems today than at any other point in the last 15 years, according to data from the Census Bureau. The share of working-age adults reporting such problems has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic, and younger people are driving the trend.
Long-COVID, linked to cognitive concerns like brain fog and difficulty concentrating, is likely the top driver, in addition to secondary effects from the pandemic like stress.
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
– Almost half of employers with 500 employees or more told NYC-based consulting firm Mercer that they cover popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy with either some authorization requirements or none. Another 18% are considering adding the drugs to their health plans. Bloomberg
– A new investigation from the Wall Street Journal reveals a long-standing culture of sexual harassment and misogyny at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) without sufficient consequences. Wall Street Journal
– The number of companies investing in DEI initiatives and employee engagement will likely drop in 2024, according to predictions from Massachusetts-based research and consulting firm Forrester. Fast Company
– Working on majority white teams poses challenges to Black women’s participation at work and can lead to low-performance labels. Having more Black colleagues, however, reduces their turnover rate. Harvard Kennedy School
Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Coming back crowded. Seventy-five percent of business owners surveyed by Robin, a Boston-based workplace analytics firm, say they are mandating in-office days even though 88% plan to cut back on office space. The firm’s CEO says this contradiction indicates that companies have a new focus on flexible, collaborative space. —Steve Mollman
A bad hand. British millennials who were born in the late 1980s, were the first generation to make less than their parents at age 30 due to reverberations from the 2008 financial crisis. On average, they made 8% less that year than when their parents were that age. —Orianna Rosa Royle
Work-pay balance. A Harvard Business School professor believes the Labor Day return-to-office push collectively failed because workers prioritize flexible work over higher wages. He predicts this trend will become permanent. —Jane Thier
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