Vhi Health Insights Report Shows Substantial Levels of Unhappiness Among Corporate Employees

37% Corporate Employees Classify Themselves as UnHappy 

49% Dissatisfied with Their Working Lives

 Employees over the age of 46 report greatest levbels of Happiness and Life Satisfaction

November 13th, 2019: A substantial cohort of corporate employees in Ireland report they are unhappy (37%) dissatisfied with their working lives (49%) and dissatisfied with their lives as a whole (33%) according to a Vhi Health Insights Report published today. The report titled ‘The Pursuit of Happiness: Exploring the Dynamics of Happiness in the Workplace’  also found that the proportion of corporate employees who are unhappy is relatively consistent across all demographics, except in relation to gender, where 42% of women describe themselves as unhappy compared to 32% of men.

‘The Pursuit of Happiness: Exploring the Dynamics of Happiness in the Workplace’ is the fourth in a series of in-depth reports by Vhi into the health of Ireland’s corporate employees. The research, which was conducted by B&A and overseen by an expert panel, looked at corporate employee happiness and life satisfaction, the factors that influence these states of mind and their implications for overall well-being.  

Key findings from the report show:

• 22% of corporate employees express dissatisfaction in relation to work/life balance
• 22% of women report high stress levels, with mothers in particular experiencing a unique set of pressures brought on by the multiple roles of employee, partner and mother
• In total, 19% of corporate employees can be classified as high stress group
• More than half of corporate employees feel health problems may increase in the future if current stress levels persist
• Those aged 46 and over report greater levels of happiness and life satisfaction, with one in four declaring themselves as very happy, double the percentage of those aged 18- 45 years
• 59% of corporate employees express interest in a work course on life satisfaction and happiness.

The report also identifies that the workplace is a critical venue for five key factors that can have a determining impact on happiness and life satisfaction including: relationships, personal autonomy, culturally defined expectations, life stages and the day-to-day impact of the immediate environment.

Dr David Morris, Head of Wellness at Vhi said “In the past happiness and life satisfaction might have been viewed as vague concepts but as awareness grows of their implications for health so does their increasing significance in relation to individual wellbeing, and, therefore, the individual’s capacity to perform and participate fully in day-to-day life, becomes apparent. Overall people with higher innate levels of well-being seem on average to do better over the course life, in a number of areas, in particular, health, income and social behaviours. The challenge for the workplace is how to create an environment that will consistently contribute to greater engagement of corporate employees with consequent enhancement of work and life satisfaction levels.”

Key recommendations for workplace interventions made in the Vhi Health Insights report are:

• Ensure that the team culture aligns with the overall corporate culture
• Provide line manager training to develop more effective listening skills.
• Promote ‘life skills’ through education programmes at work and/or online self-help initiatives.
• Develop more nuanced job satisfaction measures to include emotional engagement, optimism and perceived flexibility.
• Encourage participation in CSR activities.
• Introduce ‘mood-lifting’ interventions, especially early in the day.

Dr Morris continued “Employees continue to rank their work life as a source of dissatisfaction, often despite the introduction of initiatives and workplace arrangements.  With any workplace intervention there is a potential for divergence between the aspirations of corporate policy and the day-to-day implementation of policy at local department/team level. To put it simply employees may be well aware of existing policies, commitments and initiatives put in place at a corporate level but whether they feel they are in a position to avail of them is a reflection of the culture of their  work environment. Therefore, is not enough to put in a place a corporate policy, it also requires that employees feel they can take up of the initiatives on offer and in doing so increase life satisfaction.”

“This is the fourth edition of Vhi Health Insights, a series we have undertaken as part of our commitment  to deepening our knowledge of the challenges to health and well-being and exploring responses to those challenges. The research published here will inform and shape the programme we are developing to address challenges in relation to happiness in the workplace.”

 Media Contact:

For a copy of the report / further information, please contact:

Síle Murphy, Q4PR – sile@q4pr.ie / 01 4751444/ 086 0288132

Niamh Walker, Vhi - niamh.walker@vhi.ie / 01 887 1825 or 086 608 6764

Notes to Editor

The quantitative survey focused on those up to 65 years working in the corporate sector from across all sectors who work in businesses of 100+ employees. The survey was conducted online via B&A’s own online consumer panel, Acumen

The Vhi expert panel are:

Steven Dhondt, Senior Researcher at TNO;

Carol Graham, Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of Labor;

Blánaid Hayes, Consultant Occupational Physician;

Christian Krekel, Assistant Professor in Behavioural Science, LSE;

 Enda Murphy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist; and Ruut Veenhoven, Emeritus

Professor of Social Conditions for Human Happiness, Erasmus University Rotterdam.

 

About Vhi

Since 1957, Vhi has been helping people in Ireland to access the best value, quality private healthcare through its extensive range of diverse healthcare products and services.

With one million customers, they continue to be the market leader for health insurance in Ireland.

Their brand promise is 'When you need us, we're there' and this is true for practically every medical eventuality - whether you need cover for hospital treatment, day-care treatment, day-to-day expenses, multi-trip travel insurance, expatriate insurance, dental, walk‑in urgent care, medical screening, occupational health, employee assistance programmes, or hospital in the home services.

For more information, log onto www.vhi.ie.