Majority of workers are unhappy employees, study finds

Majority of workers are unhappy employees, study findsMajority of workers are unhappy employees, study findsNearly three-fourths of American workers are actively hunting for a new job, and the vast majority dont feel like they get enough recognition from their company, according to a new study that reveals the state of todays office workers.The 2017 Mind the Workplace report, released by the nonprofit groupMental Health America (MHA) and The Faas Foundation,surveyedmore than 17,000 U.S. workers in 19 industries and found that 71% were either actively looking for new job opportunities or had the topic on their minds always, often or sometimes at work.Only 19% said they rarely or never think about getting another job.Here are some of the studys findings on how employees say theyre really faringProfessional recognition is hard to come byWhen it comes to feeling appreciated enough by their companies - either through salary or recognition - American workers are struggling, according to the survey.Seventy-seven percent of workers surveyed said some of their colleagues get recognition they dont deserve, while those who bring more to the table professionally get ignored, according to the study.Nearly half - or 45% of participants - said they rarely or never raked in the amount of money they deserved, and 44% said skilled workers were always or often overlooked.Paul Gionfriddo, president and CEO of MHA, commentedon why this is bad for business.We know that employees who are overstressed and under-supported can significantly impact the people around them and a companys successInterestingly, our research found that recognition overall was more important than salaries in employee satisfaction which means even small companies with limited budgets can improve workplace health and productivity by focusing on the individual in addition to the bottom line, he said.Companies should pay attention to how each employee is faring at work.Feeling aloneIts easy to feel like youre working in a sink or swim environment, the survey found.Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said that the stress of their job had a significant impact on their mental and behavioral health.Sixty-six percent of respondents said they sometimes, rarely or never feel like they can trust their colleagues to support them at the office.And 64% percent of employees reported that if things got tough, their supervisor would sometimes, rarely or never support them.Skyrocketing stressAndrew Faas, Founder of The Faas Foundation, writes in the report that work environments may be a huge source of stress for employees - he even cites a 2016 Harvard/Stanford study that found thatan average of 120,000 workplace deaths annually might be linked to work-related stress.When we consider that these are premature deaths, this is a number one killer, Fass writes.Key triggers for stress are job demands, the amount of responsibilities, team dynamics and staff management, according to the report.Add to tha t a perception that bosses and colleagues have a lack of recognition, support, and structure in their workplace, and workers stress levels skyrocket, the study found.Our data confirms that higher levels of stress contribute to increased absenteeism and mental and behavioral health risks, researchers wrote.The Mind the Workplace report found that awhopping 63% of respondents said that they always, often or sometimes take part in unhealthy behaviors such as drinking or crying regularly. Only 37% said rarely or never.It was the same numerical breakdown for people when asked how often they work by themselves because of the their negative work environment.The detrimental nature of stress at work has also been echoed in other research done by the Society for Human Resource Management and Kronos.The executive summary of the organizationsTotal Financial Impact of Employee Absences in the U.S. Survey in 2014 also showed that theres a clear link between stress and absenteeism.Absenteeism is c learly a key driver of inadequate staffing and thus may result in rising employee stress levels. Poor management of employee absences can lead to a vicious cycle of rising stress levels that negatively affect employee health and morale and lead to even more days of work missed, the summary says.Here are some ways to combat stressbefore it boils over.