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Women and racialized employees prioritize mental health and well-being, study finds

61% of employees with low belonging scores said their employer "doesn't prioritize their well-being."
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Workplaces with good well-being best practices found employees were more productive.

Compared to previous generations, employees want a healthy workplace culture, not only a paycheck, a new LifeSpeak study has found.

"Employees are making job choices based on an alignment of values and cultural factors, such as diversity, inclusion, and support for well-being and a balanced life," said Michael Held, LifeSpeak founder and CEO, in a press release.

The findings are based on 2022 surveys from 1,000 employees and 1,000 HR professionals.

Overall, employees felt less comfortable with speaking about their mental health. 

The study also found that the frequency of conversations about mental health vary depending on gender and race. Women employees with children are three times more likely to refrain from talking about mental health at work. 

If an employee lacks a sense of belonging in the workplace, there's a strong likelihood they'll consider quitting for mental health reasons, according to LifeSpeak.

In particular, racialized women are more likely to use their health benefits and well-being resources than their counterparts; the study also found that they are 22 per cent more likely to quit.

"Quantifying the connection between employee belonging, workplace culture, and benefits is important not only for HR, but C-suite leaders should also take note," said Held.

"Because when employers consistently and authentically commit to nurturing a culture that supports employees with relevant and accessible benefits, they can mitigate negative employment trends, while bolstering business performance," he said.