A MISCO study conducted in March, when the coronavirus pandemic had just started to hit the Maltese islands, found that 51.7 per cent of participants replied in the affirmative when asked whether they often found their job to be stressful. Just under third – 31.9 per cent – said they rarely did, 12.2 per cent complained their work was constantly stressful, and for 4.2 per cent their work is never stressful.

Almost seven out of every 10 respondents (67.3 per cent) admitted they have experience mental health problems, like feeling anxious and stressed, in connection with their work.

When asked whether they ever experienced mental health problems caused by their job, 70 per cent said they did.

Yet, 68.5 per cent said they did not take time off from work because of anxiety or stress.

The source of stress mentioned by over 20 per cent of respondents was a heavy workload. This was followed by lack of support, tight deadlines, a low morale on the workplace, the workplace environment, issues with colleagues, long hours, the type of work done, customer/client satisfaction levels, regulations and procedures and job insecurity.

Pressure was mentioned by 46 per cent of participants as being experienced at work. Then there was a heavy workload, tight deadlines, change to duties/organisation, confrontation, boring work, late nights, and job security.

When it comes to optimism at the place of work, 46.5 per cent say it is good, 26.7 per cent poor, 16.1 per cent very good and 10.6 per cent very poor.

A worrying picture emerges when respondents were asked about how they felt in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Just under four out of every 10 respondents – 37 per cent – admitted they experienced excessive fear, worry or anxiety. When asked whether they went through extreme high or low moods, 34.5 per cent replied they did; 34.3 per cent said they lost interest in activities they used to enjoy; 33.6 per cent suffered from long lasting sadness or irritability; 19.5 per cent noticed dramatic changes in eating and sleeping habits; and 19.3 per cent experienced social withdrawal.

According to the respondents, poor mental wellness at the place of work mainly led to having trouble concentrating. Other issued that featured high were conflict with colleagues, less patience with clients/customers/colleagues, taking longer to do tasks, difficulty in making decisions, difficulty in multitasking, and putting off challenging work.

More than half – 50.3 per cent – strongly agree or agree that their employer takes the mental health and well-being of employees seriously, though 49.7 per cent strongly disagree or disagree. However, judging by the findings, most employers fail to introduce polices or programmes catering for workers’ mental well-being. Also, most respondents indicated that the organisation they worked for would not encourage employees to talk openly about mental health problems.

It is positive to note that 41.8 per cent of respondents said their employer provided work-life balance initiatives and flexible hours. In fact, the survey indicates that such initiatives are desired by many workers, as also are healthy lifestyle measures, like, say, a gym and healthy food.

Regrettably, more than half of the participants – 54.5 per cent – said they would not feel confident disclosing unmanageable stress of mental health problems with their employer or manager. A staggering 72 per cent admitted their never disclosed such problems to their superiors.

Asked whether they do anything to ease stress, 48.8 per cent said they do some physical activity. Other prefer to get more sleep, conduct meditation/relaxation techniques or take medication.