ROMA – Feeling of exhaustion, decreased efficiency, increased mental detachment, cynicism about work: 76% of Italian workers have experienced at least one of these symptoms of burnout, an increase of 14% compared to last year. These are the numbers that emerge from the 2023 research by Bva Doxa presented by Mindworkon the occasion of World Mental Health Day.
Not very encouraging results: one person in two in Italy claims to suffer from anxiety and insomnia for work-related reasons and the same number experiences high stress conditions. But we are not alone. Last year in the European Union 27% of workers have suffered from stress, depression and anxiety. “Mental health and work are closely interconnected. In particular, precarious work, including poorly paid and unprotected work, can lead to disorders”, we read in the statement of the conclusions with which the Council of the EU Calls on Member States to strengthen the protection of psychological well-being at work.
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Among the professionals in Italy who are interested in the field analysis of this combination there is Jessica Mariana Masucci, freelance journalist, author of the book “The psychic front. Investigation into the mental health of Italians” (Nottetempo, 2023) and the newsletter “States of Health“. For several years Masucci has been keeping track of how the issue of mental health is addressed in our country, and she has also done so by connecting it to the world of employment.
“When we think about the phenomenon of burnout, we imagine this office employee collapsed on his desk in front of the PC. We rarely take into consideration the mental state of many other workers: those who carry out physical activities for which they risk their lives every day, even today, or those who are in daily contact with delicate and dangerous situations such as healthcare personnel, policemen, the prison guards,” Masucci said. “And at the same time they are the same ones who feel least protected”. Again according to the analysis of Bva Doxa, in fact, between blue collar workersor those who are employed in manual activities, there is more difficulty in taking time off from work to take care of themselves: only 19% took more than 5 days of break, while the percentage rises to 55% for white collar workers – office workers – and 62% for managers.
How much does work affect our psychological state?
“Very much and not only because the work we do is part of our insertion and our position within society, but also from a practical point of view: our workplace is where we spend about eight hours of our days.
Is anything being done to promote mental health in the workplace?
“After the pandemic, the public discourse on mental health has undergone a clear acceleration. It had already been talked about on social media before, with the spread of more and more profiles managed by psychologists or psychotherapists, but after the advent of the Coronavirus this topic also began to touch on political themes and to spread outside the specialist pages of newspapers and magazines. This is therefore a recent change, which has also penetrated the professional world, but in an uneven manner. There are companies and societies in which benefits, seminars, psycho-education courses, coaches are now offered but these represent the diamond tip of a pyramid, where at the base they are still found today – and we see this from the continuous news reports of deaths at work – professions such as construction workers, where the lack of practical safety affects the mental one. If every day I go to work and think I could hurt myself, fall, die, this will certainly have an enormous impact on my psychological stability.”
Are these effective measures?
“I think it’s still too early to say but evaluating its effectiveness will be fundamental. The point, however, is that the utmost importance should be given to prevention, so the real change to be sought is not so much organizational as cultural. The stigma around mental illness must be eliminated, which is still so strong that several workers I interviewed asked me to publish their stories under pseudonyms. And any type of work management that foments sexist, racist or oppressive attitudes must be discouraged. The scheme needs to be revised: we should focus on preserving mental health and only then, if ever, find solutions for when it is already compromised.
Today, phenomena such as “major resignations” are increasingly frequent, in which workers put their own well-being before the economic stability of a permanent job. Do you find that there is more awareness in recognizing discomfort in work environments?
“Since 2020 we have started talking about it much more on social media or in front of the coffee machines with our colleagues. This is certainly positive, because, for example, the burnout of an individual is very often a symptom of a work environment with unhealthy consequences for many people. On the other hand, however, these issues require talking about them in the most informed and correct way possible and the proliferation of non-professional diagnostic labels is not good for anyone”.
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What are the categories that need more psychological support?
“Too often we overlook the state of health of those who don’t have a job or no longer have one. When I interviewed some employment center employees some time ago, it emerged that sometimes unemployed people find themselves experiencing such great psychological distress that they never come back and stop seeking help. In addition to effective active reintegration policies, it is necessary to see and help that person as a whole.”
What measures should the government consider?
“The ideal would be to encourage employment policies linked to mental health, something which for now does not exist in Italy and which is instead increasingly necessary”.