- The survey reveals that heavy workloads is main cause of stress at work, accounting for 43%.
- Companies with high stress levels result in 33% of employees resigning.
Jobsdb by SEEK recommends that employers enhance employees benefits to cope with mental health issues in order to retain employees for longer periods. This advice follows the findings of the 2024 Employment, Compensation, and Benefits Report by Jobsdb by SEEK, which indicates that organizational stress factors contribute to a resignation rate as high as 33%.
According to data from the Ministry of Public Health, the number of mental health patients in Thailand has increased over the past three years, particularly those suffering from depression. The
cumulative number of depressed patients rose from 1,156,734 in 2021 to 1,240,729 in 2023. In 2023, Thailand had 4.4 million mental health patients, accounting for 6.44% of the total population, which is double the 2.5 million reported in 2022. Additionally, data from the Mental Health Check-in by the Department of Mental Health, which surveyed 5.28 million respondents, revealed that between 2020 and 2024, 7.87% of Thais experienced high stress, 9.25% were at risk of depression, and 5.26% were at risk of suicide. Therefore, addressing employees' mental health is crucial for organizations, as employees are key to driving business growth in an increasingly competitive environment.
Khun Duangporn Prom-on, Managing Director of Jobsdb by SEEK, revealed the findings of the "2024 Employment, Compensation, and Benefits Report" regarding mental health in the workplace. This report, conducted by Jobsdb by SEEK, highlights the mental health challenges that organizations and employees are facing. The data was collected from 685 companies across various industries and job positions in Thailand to understand the factors affecting employees' mental health, stress levels, and causes of stress. The report also offers strategies for retaining talented employees.
From the report, it was found that 69% of organization rated themselves as having a moderate level of stress (between 3 and 7 on a scale). The average stress level was 4.9. The highest level of stress was at level 5, representing 26%. This indicates that the majority of workplaces have a stress level around the average. However, 14% of companies fall into the high-stress category, particularly those in the service industry.
Overall, business owners feel that the main causes of stress in their organizations are heavy workload (43%), followed by inadequate resources (26%), and high pressure from management or fast-paced working (24%). Furthermore, these causes tend to increase among companies experiencing high
stress levels, leading to various issues such as high resignation rates (33%), bias or favoritism (31%), lack of recognition and acceptance of work (26%), low compensation (27%), and excessive hierarchy (27%).
Nevertheless, the survey indicates a future trend focuses on work-life balance and well-being, with up to 43% of organizations increasingly prioritizing their employees' mental well-being. This includes various activities such as mental health days and counseling services. Many companies are now discussing mental health or health care more frequently, averaging about 4.6 times per year. This shows that increased emphasis on mental health benefits is becoming commonplace.
In addition, there are many other interesting benefits besides mental health for employees. This aims to create a better life balance for employees, allowing them to relax more from work pressures. For instance, organizational activities such as trips, interesting learning opportunities, flexible working hours, providing snacks/drinks/fruits during the day, offering leave before holidays, flexible working days, or entertainment/exercise activities in the office, like hiring trainers for office workouts, are gaining popularity. These initiatives contribute to a more holistic approach to employee well-being and satisfaction.
Moreover, if Managements study these additional benefits and apply them to their organizations, it not only helps make employees happy, have a better work-life balance but also fosters a good relationship between the organization and its employees.
"Mental health is the top priority for the younger generation. Therefore, entrepreneurs should take action to help their employees. From the report, it was found that 58% of entrepreneurs believe that what the organizations are doing is enough to help employees cope with stress. This relatively low proportion indicates that there is still room for further development of mental health benefits in organizations in the future. This should align with reports from the Department of Mental Health, which show an increasing trend in employee stress rates every year. Therefore, supporting and motivating employees to assist those experiencing stress in the organization is another trend that entrepreneurs should not overlook." Khun Duangporn concluded.
For entrepreneurs interested in additional information, you can download the full report from the following link: https://th.employer.seek.com/th/page/hiring-compensation-benefits-report-2024