High Stress Hits U.S. Workers; Wellness Benefits Underutilized

A new survey from Firstup reveals alarming levels of workplace stress, underscoring the urgent need for improved wellness communication to address this growing crisis.

SAN FRANCISCO, September 17, 2024 – Firstup, pioneer of the intelligent communication platform for the workforce, today released the results of its Workplace Communication & Wellbeing Survey, which explores the impact of workplace stress and highlights a wellbeing crisis.

Firstup surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults working full- or part-time who identified as stressed and uncovered a troubling trend – the majority of respondents (60%) consider their jobs to be a significant source of their stress, which has a profound impact on their work and well-being.

The survey results indicate:

• Stress is widespread and detrimental to the workforce: Over half (55%) of respondents report that stress contributes to feelings of burnout, diminishes their motivation (48%), and negatively affects overall work performance (37%).
  
• There’s a strong need for wellness programs, yet they are underutilized: One-third (33%) of respondents claim their employers don’t offer any wellness support, such as gym membership reimbursements, mental health resources, or preventative health screenings. However, among those who do have access to wellness programs, only 28% have taken advantage of them, and 23% say they are unlikely to do so. These figures suggest a disconnect between the availability of wellness resources and employees’ awareness or perception of their value.
  
• Communication gaps are a major barrier: One-quarter (25%) of respondents say they either don’t know where to find information about wellness benefits or the information was never communicated to them, and 15% are unaware of whether or not their company even offers wellness benefits, suggesting significant communication shortcomings.
  
• Employers are utilizing the wrong channels: Although 48% of organizations rely on email to communicate their wellness benefits, this approach may not be effective for the 54% of respondents who are deskless or spend only part of their day connected to email. Other methods, such as onboarding sessions (17%), intranet (15%), and collaboration tools like Slack (10%), are also being used but, according to the respondents, are insufficient in closing the awareness gap.

“As leaders, we can no longer ignore the employee wellness crisis,” said Firstup CEO Nicole Alvino. “We are asking more from our people, and we need to ensure we are supporting their wellbeing and caring for them as whole people. It’s on us to get them the wellness programs and support they need to thrive. It’s not enough to just offer a benefit, then bury this information and hope they find it. We must ensure every employee receives the wellness information they need, where and when they need it, whether at a desk or in the field.”

Despite the growing awareness of the importance of employee wellness, the survey reveals that significant opportunities remain for companies to improve how they promote and deliver these resources:

• Employees want easier access to wellness information: Nearly a third (32%) of employees would be more likely to use wellness benefits if the information were easier to find, and 25% would participate if they knew more about the available options. This underscores the importance of intelligent communication platforms where employees receive information at the right time in the right channel, without having to search for information or even worse, never even receive the information as a deskless worker.
  
• Tailoring communication to the workforce is key: With over 80% of the global workforce being deskless, employers must ensure that wellness information is accessible through the right channels, whether mobile, web, or integrated with tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack.

To review the full survey results, visit this blog.

Methodology
Firstup surveyed 1,000 self-proclaimed “stressed” full-time and part-time adult U.S. workers across various industries. The survey was conducted in August 2024 via Pollfish, an online survey platform.

About Firstup
Firstup’s mission is to improve the employee experience at every moment that matters. The Firstup intelligent communication platform empowers Comms, HR, and EX leaders to reach every employee and improve engagement with personalized omnichannel campaigns and real-time engagement data. Global enterprises such as Amazon, BBC, Dow, Hilton, KraftHeinz, and Toyota use Firstup to connect millions of employees worldwide. Firstup’s vibrant community of 3,000 communicators is committed to elevating the employee experience. Learn more at firstup.io.