Compiled by | Wang Zhaoyu
A survey of 46,000 employees has shown that many companies' welfare measures have little effect on promoting employees' mental health. The study was published in the Journal of Labor Relations on January 10th.In the UK, more than half of employers have implemented formal employee welfare measures, including employee assistance programs, support for occupational or personal issues, as well as psychological counseling, online life coaching, mindfulness workshops, and stress management training."Employers are increasingly providing various strategies, exercises, and programs to improve employee happiness and mental health. The aim of these measures is to improve people's psychological resilience and coping mechanisms," says William Fleming of the University of Oxford.To investigate the effectiveness of these measures, Fleming analyzed data from the "UK's Healthiest Workplace" survey conducted in 2017 and 2018. He studied responses from 46,000 employees in 233 organizations, the majority of whom were office and service industry workers, with around 5,000 indicating that they had participated in at least one welfare program in the past year.He found that there was no difference in self-reported mental health between those who had participated in these programs and those who hadn't. This result was consistent across different types of employees and industries. Fleming says, "These programs don't seem to bring any benefits."However, volunteer services may be an exception. Employees who participated in volunteer service programs provided by companies had higher average levels of mental health compared to those who didn't participate. Fleming cautions, though, that it's important to note that those who are motivated enough to volunteer for a cause may already have better mental health conditions.Fleming suggests that employers should focus on improving the work environment rather than providing these measures. For example, assessing whether someone's workload is excessive, if their working hours are too long, or improving management strategies.Related Paper Information:
https://doi.org/10.1111/irj.12418
China Science Daily (January 16, 2024, 2nd Edition, International)Editor | Zhao LuLayout | Guo GangPlease scan the QR code below for 3 seconds to identify it.
