Lean Quote: The Role of Work in Employee Mental Health and Wellbeing

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined."   —  Johnny Carson

Gallup's latest State of the Global Workplace report finds that global employee engagement stagnated and employee wellbeing declined in 2023 after multiple years of steady gains. The result is that the majority of the world's employees continue to struggle at work and in life, with direct consequences for organizational productivity.

The lack of improvement in employee engagement and employee wellbeing is notable, as they follow multiple years of steady gains. The U.S. and Canada have the highest regional percentage of engaged employees at 33%, compared to the global average of 23%, with women in the region experiencing higher engagement (35%) than men (31%).

Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy US $8.9 trillion, or 9% of global GDP — enough to make the difference between success and failure for the world's development goals.

Employee engagement is a significant factor in overall life experiences. Not all mental health issues are related to work, but work is a factor in life evaluations and daily emotions. Addressing employee mental health, in part, requires support for thriving in life and engagement at work.

The U.S. and Canada have the third-highest regional percentage of thriving employees at 53%, compared to the global average of 34%.

Per Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report, managers play a key role in the wellbeing of workers.

Stress levels are high with 41% of the workers reporting that they are experiencing "a lot of stress" in the workplace primarily due to bad management practices.  Even leaders are feeling burned out "often or always" (25%), with 33% sharing they feel this way at least some of the time.

Key Findings Impacting Joy in The Workplace:

1.    20% of employees around the globe experience daily loneliness

• This number is higher for employees younger than 35
• Fully remote employees report loneliness at 25%
• Onsite employees report loneliness at 16%

Also, working adults are less lonely (20%) than those who are unemployed (32%) - building and sustaining relationships matters!

In-person interactions are a plus for building relationships, with remote interactions (phone, video, and texting) also contributing to one’s well-being.

What isn’t a surprise is that employees who report disliking their jobs have a higher tendency to experience daily stress and negative emotions. When work is found to be meaningful and healthy work relationships exist, there are fewer negative feelings and higher levels of joy in the workplace.

2.    When managers are engaged at work, non-managers are also more likely to be engaged.

3.    Managers drive engagement through goal setting, regular, meaningful feedback and accountability.

4.    When employees are interested in what they do, productivity and enjoyment levels are higher.

The global workplace has changed since 2020. The rise in hybrid work for remote-capable employees has made people management more complicated. Physical distance often translates into psychological distance, so this becomes a critical skill for hybrid and remote work. Most managers don't have a handle yet on effective hybrid and remote work management. It can be done, but it requires greater levels of intentionality and communication. When organizations increase the number of employees who are engaged at work, it improves a host of organizational outcomes.