Japan last in global employees' well-being survey. Where does India stand?

Businesses that prioritise their workers’ overall health, tend to prosper. This is due to the fact that modern employees achieve their greatest potential when they work in environments that prioritise their well-being. According to the most recent global survey, Japan ranked lowest for employees’ well-being, while Turkey topped the ranking. The report also suggest that burnout is the major cause of employees quitting their jobs. Let’s take a closer look. Japan at the bottom Results of the McKinsey Health Institute survey, which polled over 30,000 workers in 30 nations, were announced on Thursday. Japan had the lowest score of 25 per cent. The survey was determined by evaluating their physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. Japanese respondents reported 30 per cent being in social health, 74 per cent being in physical health, 24 per cent being in spiritual health, and 42 per cent being in mental health. According to Bloomberg, Japanese companies are known for providing lifetime employment and job security. However, this also implies that it can be difficult for workers to switch positions if they are unhappy. Global polls of the island nation have regularly ranked it poorly, and the results reflect this, the outlet quoted Rochelle Kopp, a consultant for businesses on cross-cultural communications and business practises, as saying. “There’s this documented tendency to rate yourself low,” she said, adding, “There are significant issues in Japan with lack of satisfaction in the workplace, with significant levels of stress.” She continued that uncertainty is exacerbated by the fact that a growing proportion of Japanese workers are employed under short-term contracts. The story of the Indian worker India came in second place with 76 per cent, and China came in third with 75 per cent. Indian respondents rated their physical health at 81 per cent, mental health at 79 per cent, social and spiritual health at 78 per cent, and physical health at 81 per cent. According to the report, respondents from India reported the highest rates of burnout symptoms (59 per cent). It was followed by Saudi Arabia (36 per cent), Egypt and Chile (33 per cent each). Cameroon respondents reported the lowest rates of burnout symptoms (nine per cent). Factors like emotional or cognitive impairment, or signs of burnout, differ from nation to nation. However,  one common finding is a lack of energy: more than a third of respondents in 29 of the surveyed countries reported exhaustion. In contrast, a third or more of respondents reported mental remoteness or a reluctance to work in just three countries. India is, however, “stretching” – well functioning across the dimensions of holistic health and simultaneously experiencing high rates of burnout symptoms. The countries “faring well” – well functioning across holistic health dimensions and experiencing low rates of burnout symptoms – are Turkey, China, Cameroon, Colombia, Sweden, and Brazil. Saudi Arabia and Chile are “drowning” as they experience suboptimal functioning across the dimensions and high rates of burnout symptoms. Burnout on the rise Over 50 per cent of workers exhibit signs of burnout, which increases their likelihood of quitting their jobs by three times. Over the course of the 30 countries covered by the study, 22 per cent of workers report having signs of burnout at work. Researchers looking at demographic disparities on burnout discovered that workers between the ages of 18 and 24 who work for smaller companies and all non-managerial professionals have higher rates of burnout symptoms. The survey results highlight an important trend: the majority of variation in burnout symptoms may be attributed to demands, or aspects of work that demand energy, including dealing with toxic behaviours or role ambiguity. The effect on mental health Beyond burnout, there are a number of detrimental (mental) health outcomes at work that businesses must address. Burnout is just the beginning. Demands like role ambiguity, role conflict, or toxic workplace behaviour are seven times more predictive of burnout symptoms than enablers. According to the McKinsey survey, employees who had holistic workforce performance reported are “innovative at work, have better work performance, and experience better work-life balance.” “For most adults, the majority of waking daily life is spent at work,” the report’s authors wrote. “That offers employers an opportunity to influence their employees’ physical, mental, social, and spiritual health.” Employers need to support the health of all employees – supporting those in ill health, taking preventive measures to avoid negative health outcomes, and actively building a work environment where more employees have positive holistic health. With inputs from agencies