C-Suite execs experienced more mental health challenges than employees

The study of more than 12,000 employees, managers, HR leaders and C-Suite executive across 11 countries, found that C-suite executives struggled to adapt more than their employees, younger generations experienced the most burnout, and that India, UAE, China and the US had the most workers reporting the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health.

C-Suite Executives See the Biggest Challenges in Remote Work

C-level executives have struggled the most with adapting to remote work realities and report they are suffering from mental health issues more than their employees, but they are also the most open to finding help in AI.

• C-Suite execs (53%) have struggled with mental health issues in the workplace more than their employees (45%).
• C-Suite execs also had the hardest time adapting to virtual lifestyles with 85% reporting significant remote work challenges including collaborating with teams virtually (39%), managing increased stress and anxiety (35%), and lacking workplace culture (34%).
• C-Suite execs were also 29% more likely to experience difficulties learning new technologies for remote work than employees; once they adjusted to the new normal, C-Suite execs were 26% more likely to find increased productivity than employees.
• C-Suite execs are the most open to using AI for help with mental health: 73% would prefer to talk to a robot (i.e. chatbots and digital assistants) about their mental health over a human compared to 61% of employees.
• C-Suite execs are 23% more likely to see AI benefits than employees; 80% of C-Suite leaders noted AI has already helped their mental health at work.

Gen Z and Millennials are Hustlin’ Harder, Suffering More, and Seeking AI Relief

Younger workers are feeling the most burnout due to the mental health effects of the pandemic and are more open to asking AI for relief.

• Gen Z is more likely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic than any other generation. Nearly 90% of Gen Z workers said COVID-19 has negatively impacted their mental health and 94% noted workplace stress impacts their home life as well.
• Gen Z workers are two times more likely than Baby Boomers to work extra hours during the pandemic, and Millennials are 130% more likely to have experienced burnout than Baby Boomers.
• Younger generations are the most likely to turn to robots for support: Gen Z workers are 105% more likely to talk to a robot over their manager about stress and anxiety at work than Baby Boomers. 84% of Gen Z and 77% of Millennials prefer robots over humans to help with their mental health.
• Gen Z workers are 73% more likely than Baby Boomers to benefit from AI at work: 90% of Gen Z say AI has helped their mental health at work and 93% want their companies to provide technology to support their mental health.

Employees in Different Countries are Experiencing Very Different Realities

Just like COVID-19, the mental health crisis has impacted people differently across the world. People in India and China are being hit the hardest and are the most open to AI support, while workers in Italy, Germany, and Japan are seeing less of an impact.

• India (89%), UAE (86%), China (83%) and the US (81%) had the most workers reporting the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health. Workers in China (43%) and India (32%) are also the most burned out from overwork as a result of COVID-19.
• Italy reported the lowest number of people experiencing a negative impact on their mental health from the pandemic (65%). Workers in Germany were the least likely to report that 2020 was the most stressful year at work ever (52%).
• 29% of people in Japan say they have not experienced many difficulties at all working remotely or collaborating with teams virtually. In contrast, 96% of people in India admit it has been challenging to keep up with the pace of technology at work.
• People in China (97%) and India (92%) are the most open to having a robot as a therapist or counsellor. People in France (68%) and the UK (69%) were the most hesitant.
• People in India and China are 33% more likely to talk to a robot than their peers in other countries: 91% of Indian workers and 91% of Chinese workers would prefer a robot over their manager to talk about stress and anxiety at work.

Despite Demographics, People Need Help from Their Employers. It’s Time to Step Up

Despite seniority, generation and geographic differences, people all over the world agree: The pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of the global workforce - and they want help.

• 78% of workers say the pandemic has negatively affected their mental health.
• 76% of people believe their company should be doing more to protect their mental health.
• 83% would like their company to provide technology to support their mental health.

“Diving deep into the differences between demographic and regional groups highlights the significant impact of the pandemic on the mental health for employees in various age groups, roles and regions,” said Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner, Workplace Intelligence.

“Amidst the challenges of the pandemic, companies can use this moment as a catalyst for positive change in their organisations. While the pandemic raised the urgency for companies to start protecting the mental health of their employees, the efforts they put in now will continue to create happier, healthier and more engaged workforces in the decades to come.”

“The pandemic put employee mental health in the global spotlight, but these findings also showed that it created growing support for solutions from employers including technologies like AI,” said Emily He, Senior Vice President, Oracle Cloud HCM.

“The way the pandemic changed our work routines makes burnout, stress and other mental health issues all too easy. Everyone has been affected in different ways and the solutions each company puts in place need to reflect the unique challenges of employees. But overall, these findings demonstrate that implementing technology to improve the mental health of employees needs to be a priority for every business.”

Learn more about this global study and download the new report here.