Four out of ten Americans report significant gap between culture their workplace claims to have versus their reality

Supported by TELUS Health, LifeWorks’ Mental Health Index™ finds negative workplace culture impacts mental health and leads to two and a half times less productivity than positive environments

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LifeWorks, a leading provider of digital and in-person total wellbeing solutions supported by TELUS Health, today released its monthly Mental Health Index™ revealing that four out of 10 (38 per cent) Americans believe there is a significant difference between the culture their workplace claims to have compared to the reality. Importantly, negative workplace cultures impact mental health and lead to two and a half times less productivity per year than positive work environments.

The Index found that the mental health of U.S. workers remains significantly strained.

• The Mental Health Index™ score for August 2022 is 69.4 points out of 100, a modest improvement from July’s score of 68.9 with the lowest sub-score attributed to anxiety, at 62.3.

Workplace culture is impacting the productivity of workers

• More than half of all employees believe the work culture affects their productivity. The overall U.S. Workplace Culture Score, a rating based on responses to nine cultural indicators, is 68.7 out of 100, which correlates directly to both mental health and the level of productivity.
• Nearly half (46 percent) report that their workplace culture increases productivity. This group has the most favorable mental health score (72.0) and applies more energy to their work.
• Almost one in ten (9 percent) report that their workplace culture decreases productivity. The mental health score of this group is 56.3, which sits 13 points below the national average (69.4).
• Managers are 50 percent more likely than non-managers to indicate that their workplace culture increases their productivity.

Mental health is heavily influenced by realities of workplace culture

• The employee group that sees a strong disparity between the employer’s claim of a positive culture and their day-to-day reality, has a mental health score six points below the national average and almost 14 points below people who believe reality is aligned with employer claims.
• Those who say their workplace is uncaring or hostile have the lowest mental health scores (55.1), more than 21 points lower than those who consider the workplace supportive.
• Nine percent of respondents report their workplace culture does not promote inclusiveness. This group has a mental health score eight points below the national average.

Comments from TELUS Health Chief Operating Officer, Michael Dingle
“Prioritizing a culture that supports health and wellbeing leads to stronger business results. With a potential economic downturn ahead, creating and maintaining a positive culture combined with offering tangible support for employees is increasingly important in relation to improved mental health as well as corporate performance. It is critical for businesses to do more than simply say they have a positive working environment. They must take action to ensure employees feel supported so they can realize the reciprocal impacts on productivity.”

Comments from LifeWorks global leader and senior vice president, research and total wellbeing, Paula Allen
“In prior Mental Health Index reports, we have highlighted data that shows employees who work for organizations that support mental health have better mental health scores than employees who work for organizations that don’t. The current data clearly shows that, in addition to services and resources, workplace culture also plays a strong role. We have identified nine indicators that make a difference and can be improved with specific actions and behaviors that support wellbeing and enable each person to work at the top of their own scale.”

The full United States LifeWorks Mental Health Index™ report can be found here. This month, the report includes additional insights on work preferences, preference between salary increases and better wellbeing support, frequency of working while unwell and more.

LifeWorks is a wholly owned subsidiary of TELUS now operating as part of TELUS Health as a result of its recent acquisition.

About the Mental Health Index™
The monthly survey by LifeWorks was conducted through an online survey from August 4 to 12, 2022 with 3,000 respondents in United States. All respondents reside in Canada and were employed within the last six months. The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional, age and gender composition of the sample reflect this population. The Mental Health Index™ is published monthly, beginning April 2020. Benchmark data was collected in 2017, 2018, 2019.

The Mental Health Index™, is based on a response scoring system that then turns individual responses into point values. Higher point values are associated with better mental health and less mental health risk. Scores between 0 to 49 correspond with distress levels, scores between 50 to 79 correspond with strain levels and scores between 80 to 100 correspond with optimal levels of mental health.

About TELUS Health
TELUS Health is a global healthcare company serving people in more than 160 countries delivering both digital innovation and clinical services to improve total physical, mental and financial health and wellness across the full spectrum of primary and preventative care. By leveraging the power of technology to deliver connected solutions and services both in-person and virtually, TELUS Health is improving access to care and revolutionizing the flow of information while facilitating collaboration, efficiency, and productivity for physicians, pharmacists, health authorities, allied healthcare professionals, insurers, employers and people globally, progressing its vision of transforming healthcare and empowering people to live healthier lives.

Our clinical team is composed of renowned and passionate health professionals around the world delivering best-in-class people-centric care to hundreds of thousands of employers, professionals and their families.

For more information, please visit: www.telushealth.com.