Workplace Stress Remains, Despite Companies Offering ‘Lifestyle Perks and One-Off Incentives’, New Study Finds

NEED TO KNOW

• A new report has found that “add-ons” like lifestyle perks aren’t a viable solution to tackling workplace stress

• The U.K.-based Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) urged employers to stop “papering over cracks” when it comes to employee health and wellbeing

• Sixty-seven percent of organizational leaders from workplaces in 22 countries reported an increase in health, safety and wellbeing issues over the past year

A new report has found that “add-ons” like lifestyle perks aren’t a viable solution to tackling workplace stress — and employers have to stop “papering over cracks” when it comes to employee health and wellbeing.

Published by the U.K.-based Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the new report used data from 22 countries around the world to study stress in the workplace — and found that workers are more stressed than ever.

The international organization reported that the use of perks and one-off incentives at work is creating a “widening gulf between good intentions and genuine impact” on employee health, as issues such as job design, workload, working hours, workplace culture and “psychosocial hazards” are left unaddressed.

“IOSH has issued a stark warning to employers: stop papering over cracks with wellbeing perks and start confronting the root causes of harm affecting workforces,” the organization wrote in a press release.

In the study, which used data from regions including the Americas, the U.K. and Ireland, Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, West Africa and Australasia, 67 percent of organizational leaders reported an increase in health, safety and wellbeing issues over the past year.

“The pressures driving this surge are clear, with over half of respondents (55 percent) citing mental health issues such as workplace stress, anxiety and depression as the most common challenge facing their employees,” the press release states.

IOSH’s head of policy Ruth Wilkinson urged employers to put measures in place to prevent burnout and other issues in the first place, rather than react after the fact.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Prevention must be embedded into the systems, culture and leadership of every organization,” Wilkinson said in the press release. “That means strong, visible commitment from the top, clear communication, and creating workplaces where people feel psychologically safe to raise concerns.”

“Only then can we shift away from firefighting and build genuinely healthy, safe, sustainable and resilient working environments,” she added. “Our findings make one message unmistakable: the future of workplace health and wellbeing cannot be built on perks, posters or token initiatives.”

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has previously reported that stress can be harmful to a person’s health and can increase mental health challenges.

“Mental health challenges can include clinical mental illness and substance use disorders as well as other emotions like stress, grief, feeling sad and anxious, where these feelings are temporary and not part of a diagnosable condition,” OSHA stated, noting that these issues can impact everything from a person’s job performance and productivity to their physical capability and daily functioning.

OSHA has also previously found that outside of mental health struggles, which can include trauma-related symptoms or suicidal thoughts, employees can also struggle with their physical health.

Heart disease, high blood pressure, poor sleep and excessive weight gain or loss can all result from long-term workplace stress, the organization states. Poor health can also cause issues for employers, as long-term stress can increases potential for workplace incidents, increases absenteeism and leads to high turnover rates.

Wilkinson added in the press release that the IOSH’s findings show that employers are seemingly committed to investing in worker health and wellbeing — but “problems are still occurring.”

“It means the action and investment to date is not having the desired impact – it is not getting to the root cause and preventing the harm from happening,” she said. “For this reason, employers need to take a proactive approach, and this starts with prevention.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

Read the original article on People