74 percent of workers are concerned about their well-being at work: survey

Seventy-four percent of US workers are “moderately” or “highly” concerned about their workplace well-being, according to the results of the 2023 EBRI/Greenwald Research Workplace Wellness Survey.

Researchers interviewed 1,505 US full-time and part-time workers aged 21 to 64 years.

Two-thirds of the interviewees said that they are at least somewhat concerned that their employer will lay off employees or reduce worker hours, and approximately three-fourths of participants said that they are concerned that employers will not offer raises or bonuses. 

“Although down from last year, half of workers report being extremely or very happy with their current job, and just over half feel very likely to stay with their current employer for the next two years,” according to the survey authors. “Another third feel somewhat likely to stay with their employer.”

Company culture plays a large role in employee satisfaction, and a negative culture can greatly affect employees’ perception of overall well-being, they said.

“Company culture is cited by 61% as having the greatest negative impact on overall well-being, whereas just 22% feel it has a positive impact,” according to the survey. “Family has the greatest positive impact on overall well-being.”

Six in 10 respondents said they find it challenging to keep a good balance between work and caregiving responsibilities.

Most of the workers surveyed said they are not concerned about their mental health, with just a fourth rating their mental health as fair or poor. Even so, 80% of the respondents said that they felt their employers have a responsibility to make sure employees are mentally healthy and emotionally well.

“Employees are torn, however, on how well their employer communicates about mental health and work-life balance, with 37% rating their employer’s communication excellent or very good and 35% calling them fair or poor,” according to the survey report.

The economy has workers worried, according to the data. Four out of five respondents expressed concern that inflation will continue to increase and that a possible recession is just around the corner. Employees’ primary financial concerns include whether they have enough savings for an emergency and to pay monthly bills.

“In years past, saving enough for retirement held the top spot among concerns, and it remains a close third,” the researchers said.