October 21, 2022
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when most people had to work from home, there has been a cultural emphasis on work-life balance, with greater attention being paid to the health effects of toxic workplaces.
Unhappiness in the workplace has led to trends like "quiet quitting," in which employees decline to take on responsibilities that extend beyond their scheduled shifts, and "fast quitting," in which workers quit before the one-year mark.
Now, a new report from the U.S. Surgeon General's Office provides evidence on how poor working conditions can affect employees' health. It also offers guidelines to help companies create healthy working environments.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the nature of work, and the relationship many workers have with their jobs," U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said. "The link between our work and our health has become even more evident."
Research shows that low wages, discrimination, harassment, long work hours and lengthy commutes can increase a person's risk for certain health conditions, including cancer and heart disease. These conditions also can increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
About 76% of U.S. employees reported experiencing at least one symptom of a mental health condition – burnout, depression or anxiety – within a year, according to a 2021 report from Mind Share, a nonprofit training and advising firm. And 84% said at least one workplace factor negatively impacted their mental health.
In a survey by the American Psychological Association, workers said that more flexible hours, a workplace culture that respects time off, the ability to work remotely and a four-day workweek were at the top of their wish list for a better work-life balance.
The 30-page report from the Surgeon General explicitly links conflicts between work and home to stress, anxiety and depression, and an increase in the risk for unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, poor diet, alcohol and substance use. Conflicts in the office can affect the quality of a person's relationships at work and at home, and negatively affect the quality of an employee's work.
The report also outlines five necessary components for a healthy workplace: protection from harm, connection and community, work-life harmony, feeling essential at work and having the opportunity to grow. Adopting these principles can help promote inclusion, fair wages, opportunities for advancement and other benefits, according to the Surgeon General's office.
Murthy launched the new national framework at the National Constitution Center on Thursday while he was meeting with business leaders. It was created with input from businesses, nonprofit organizations, unions, labor associations and academic researchers.
Murthy said this new framework will require organizations to rethink their workplace culture and policies, but that ultimately doing so will benefit both the workers and businesses.
Emphasizing those principles can help promote inclusion, fair wages and opportunities for advancement, among other benefits, according to the Surgeon General's office.
"A healthy workforce is the foundation for thriving organizations and a healthy community," Murthy said.
That the Surgeon General's Office is emphasizing workplace guidelines shows how important the issue is, Gabriella Kellerman, chief product officer at corporate coaching platform BetterUp, told CBS News.
"They are giving employers concrete recommendations on what matters most to support employees' well-being," Kellerman said. "Getting this granular and prescriptive is a new level of involvement, and of guidance, that is novel."
Jaime-Alexis Flower, founder of Empower Work, a nonprofit organization that offers workers' counseling and a crisis text line, told WHYY that employees often feel like upper management doesn't really listen to them.
"Workers say to us often, 'I don't want this to happen to somebody else. I can't sleep at night, I'm not able to show up for my kids, I may be turning to substance abuse or addiction in a different way than I had before to cope with this,'" Flower said. "And they're looking for tools, for resources, and to be heard."
