Half of millennials in the workplace leave their jobs partly due to mental health reasons, according to a study published in Harvard Business Review. Sixty percent of the surveyed employees claimed to have experienced symptoms of mental health issues in the past year.
Baby boomers, who are 55-73 years old, were only less than 10% of the respondents who resigned from work due to mental health-related reasons.
The survey from Mind Share Partners, a nonprofit working with companies on their mental health resources, asked 1,500 people ages 16 and older who are employed at a company to analyze the impact of mental health issues on employment.
The participants were asked if they experience mental health symptoms, such as sweating, trembling, rapid heartbeat, upset stomach, dizziness, or fainting. They responded to questions about the effect of those symptoms on their work and whether they find mental health support and resources sufficient in their workplace.
Further, half of millennial (defined in this survey as 23-38 years old) and 75% of Gen-Zer (18-22 years old) respondents have quit a job partially due to mental health reasons.
The study’s findings also reveal that millennials were three times more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety than baby boomers. The millennial respondents were also 63% more likely to know how to access counseling or mental health training.
Younger generations may be more aware about mental health compared to their older counterparts, according to Kelly Greenwood, chief executive officer and founder of Mind Share Partners. “Mental health is something they’re used to talking about freely,” Greenwood said in an interview with CNBC Make It. “All the sudden they get into the workplace and they’re not supposed to talk about it.”
Greenwood considers “societal culture change” as the reason for the disparity in terms of awareness. She also claims that millennials and Gen-Zers could be more in tune with their mental health than baby boomers.
“Underrepresented groups come across additional challenges in workplace by virtue of race or ethnicity,” she said. “That certainly creates additional challenges on top of what it looks like to be in the majority in a company.”
Greenwood recommends the formation of mental health employee resource groups and training managers and employees on how to handle conversations and identify and address mental health issues among employees.
