One in Five Adults Say Their Workplace Is Toxic, Harming Mental Health

However, most workers acknowledge employer support for mental health and well-being

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, July 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Nearly one in five U.S. adults say their workplace is toxic, according to the results of an American Psychological Association survey.

The 2023 Work in America Survey, conducted online (April 17 to April 27, 2023) by The Harris Poll, included 2,515 employed adults nationwide.

The poll revealed that more than one in five workers (22 percent) reported experiencing harm to their mental health at work, including experiencing harassment at work in the past 12 months — up from 14 percent in 2022. Verbal abuse was more common among participants reporting work in customer/client/patient service jobs (31 percent) compared with manual laborers (23 percent) and office workers (22 percent). In contrast, physical violence was higher among manual laborers (12 percent) compared with office workers and customer/client/patient service workers (5 and 6 percent, respectively). More than one in five participants reported witnessing discrimination in their current workplace and 15 percent reported they experienced discrimination. Despite this, most workers (77 percent) reported being very (36 percent) or somewhat (41 percent) satisfied with the support for mental health and well-being they receive from their employers, with more than half (59 percent) saying that their employer regularly provides information about available mental health resources.

“Our survey data confirm that employees prioritize both physical and psychological support at work, and that the practices employers are putting in place are heading in the right direction,” Arthur C. Evans Jr., Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association, said in a statement. “However, it is clear there are many areas that require improvement.”