55% of India’s employed professionals report feeling stressed: LinkedIn survey

NEW DELHI: Towards World Mental Health Day 2021, the world’s largest online professional network LinkedIn has launched a special ‘mental health’ edition of the Workforce

Confidence Index to address the prevalence of work stress in India, and how professionals expect greater flexibility to keep their mental health in check.

Based on the survey responses of 3,881 professionals from July 31 to September 24, it was revealed that more than half of India’s (55%) employed professionals are feeling stressed at work as well-being measures become a luxury for many.

The report said that the latest edition of the Workforce Confidence Index revealed that India’s overall workforce confidence remained steady with a composite score of over 55. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the mental health of working professionals in the country.

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When asked to share their primary reasons for work stress, employed professionals cited ‘balancing work with personal needs’ (34%), ‘not making enough money' (32%), and ‘slow career advancement’ (25%) as the top 3 stressors at work today, the report said.

Amid such stressful times, 1 in 3 professionals are also seen drawing optimism from the availability of jobs (36%) and improved control over expenses (30%) in today’s recovering, yet competitive jobs marketplace.

Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn said, “These stressful times of change have impelled the need for greater flexibility and work-life balance among professionals. But our survey reveals a wide gap between what employees need and what employers are offering to cope with stress. While nearly half of (47%) employed professionals wish to end work at reasonable hours, only about one-thirds (36%) were actually able to do so.”

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“And while 41% planned for time-off, only 30% could take time off in the past two months. These alarming statistics reflect the urgency for companies to understand how creating a culture that encourages work-life balance and prioritises well being is critical moving forward,” he added.