HR professionals’ perceptions of workplace mental health differ by role in department

The pandemic underscored the vital role that mental health plays in employee satisfaction, job performance and retention. However, although most human resource professionals place a high value on promoting a healthy workplace, only 16% of chief HR officers rate the mental health of their organization’s workforce as very good or excellent.

Gallup recently surveyed CHIROs and a representative sample of the U.S. workforce to gauge the impact of employment on mental health. Among HR professionals, 35% reported a somewhat negative impact on their mental health, while 38% found their job’s effect on mental health somewhat positive. These findings demonstrate that those responsible for employee wellbeing also face challenges in their own roles.

When the same question was posed to employees, one-third reported that their job had a somewhat negative impact on their mental health, while 23% found it to be somewhat positive. Thirty percent of respondents said their job had no impact on their mental health. These results highlight the fact that individual experiences of mental health in the workplace may vary significantly.

The survey findings revealed distinct differences among nine different HR communities regarding the impact their role has on their mental health.

• Chief of staff to the CHRO. A majority of chief of staff professionals, 65%, reported that their role has a positive impact on their mental health, while 25% acknowledged a negative impact.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leaders. A majority reported that their job has a positive impact on their mental health, and 36% acknowledged a negative impact.
• Culture/people experience leader. Half stated that their role has a positive impact on their mental health, while 35% acknowledged a negative impact.
• Learning and development. Fifty percent reported that their role has a somewhat or extremely positive impact on their mental health, while 37% experienced a somewhat or extremely negative impact.
• Talent management leaders. Forty-six percent expressed a positive impact on their mental health, while 32% reported a negative impact.
• Talent acquisition leaders. The results were evenly split, with 42% indicating a positive impact and 42% reporting a negative impact on their mental health.
• Total rewards leaders. Total rewards leaders had a more balanced perspective. Thirty-eight percent experienced a positive impact on their mental health from their job, and half reported a negative impact.
• People analytics leaders. The results for people analytics leaders are grimmer, with 34% reporting a positive impact and 47% indicating a negative impact on their mental health.
• HR business partners. Only 26% reported that their role has a positive impact on their mental health, and 54% indicated a negative impact — the highest negative percentage of the nine HR communities

Related: 74% of benefits leaders are looking to streamline employee benefits, survey finds

“While CHROs cited concerns about work-life balance and flexibility, the perceptions of HR professionals who report to those CHROs were more positive overall,” the survey report concluded. “Nevertheless, organizations should strive to create supportive environments that prioritize mental health, as at the individual job level, those averages have big differences and require high individualization.”