A bad atmosphere at work leads to psychological problems

About one in four people in Switzerland say they suffer from mental health problems. The climate in the workplace is particularly a problem for the Swiss, according to research by insurance company Axa.

According to the international survey, the Swiss rate their mental health more positively than people in other countries. But 26 percent of the 1,000 respondents said they suffered from mental health problems and 15 percent from depression.

The working climate apparently has a major influence on people’s well-being. 77 percent of employees surveyed indicate that they suffer from a psychological problem due to their professional environment. Symptoms include Fatigue and lack of energy (59 percent), sleep problems (47 percent), Stress and anxiety states (33 percent), one Feeling of worthlessness (33 percent) and Eating Disorder (24 percent).

As a result of this stressful work atmosphere, 30 percent wanted to be less involved at work or work less and 30 percent planned further training so that they could change jobs later. 28 percent wanted to work from home more and 22 percent planned to quit their job.

According to Axa, the effects of a working environment that is perceived as negative are significant. 17 percent of employees indicate that they have been ill in the past twelve months due to psychological problems54 percent of them were between 18 and 34 years old. A total of 7 percent experienced a burnout in the past year.

Axa quantifies the resulting loss to Swiss gross domestic product based on a calculation by the Center for Economics and Business Research the equivalent of about 17.3 billion francs per year.

Employees say they receive insufficient support from their employers in difficult situations: approximately half of burnout patients (51 percent) were dissatisfied with the support from their employer. 28 percent of employees with psychological problems describe the support from their company as insufficient.

42 percent think their company isn’t really interested in their mental health. Only a third of employees consider raising their psychological problems with their managers or asking them for help.

Last year, the market research agency Ipsos surveyed 16,000 people between the ages of 18 and 74 in 16 countries on behalf of Axa. In Switzerland, 1,000 people took part in the survey, including 709 employees. (rbu/sda)