Almost half of young workers surveyed admit to suicidal thoughts

Younger workers - aged 18-30 - in the UK are more likely to have had a recent mental health challenges than their more senior colleagues, research from Accenture has suggested.

The survey carried out over two years and featuring 3884 people, revealed at This Can Happen today, showed that 48% said they have experienced suicidal thoughts or feelings, compared to 35% of older workers.

Meanwhile, 45% of younger workers said they have held back from talking about their mental health at work, versus 22% of older employees, even though they report feeling more pressure in their lives than older colleagues. Four in 10 said pressure from work affected them on a daily basis, while one in three said they worried about the mental health of someone close to them.

"It's clear that many young people face challenges with their mental health before they enter the workforce and while working, and that they are affected more often than their senior peers," said Barbara Harvey, managing director and mental health lead for Accenture UK. "Therefore, mental health must be a priority issue for employers. Businesses need to look at how they can create an open, supportive work environment which enables employees of all ages to look after their mental health, support one another, and perform at their best."

The research also revealed the benefit of supportive and open workplace cultures, with 41% of those in supportive companies experiencing mental health challenges compared to 65% in less supportive cultures.

This Can Happen founder Zoe Sinclair commented: "With this survey we hope that many employers will examine their recruitment, induction and management styles to support younger members of their workforce. Undertaking large scale insightful research programmes that highlight the challenges faced by those entering the workforce is an integral part of what This Can Happen and Accenture are working towards."

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• Topics
• Employee Benefits
• Group Protection
• mental health
• young people
• suicide
• Workplace wellbeing