Many young workers feel stressed, isolated and unappreciated in their jobs, a new survey has found.
The 2022 Work in America survey, conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA), found that young adults are struggling in the workplace:
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Nearly half (48%) of workers aged 18 to 25 feel that people not close to their age don't see the value in their ideas, compared to 32% overall and 16% for workers 65 and older.
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Similarly, 43% of workers aged 18 to 25 feel self-conscious about their age at work, compared to 29% of all workers.
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About 45% of workers aged 18 to 25 say they feel lonely at work, compared to 33% of those aged 26 to 43, 22% of those aged 44 to 57 and 15% of those 58 to 64 years old.
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Younger workers are also more likely to feel tense or stressed during the workday - 48% for those 18-25 and 51% for those 26-43, compared to 42% for workers 44-57 and 30% for workers 58 -64.
"With more workers retiring later in life, the demographics of the workplace are changing, and younger workers seem to be having the hardest time adjusting," said Arthur Evans Jr., APA's chief executive officer. "At the same time, with the rise of remote work and the use of new technologies like AI, workers both young and old are facing a paradigm shift about where and how we work."
"To remain competitive, employers must invest in strategies that support the well-being and mental health of their workers to help them navigate these new norms and the evolving professional landscape," Evans added in a news release. APA.
Overall, one-third of workers (33%) said they are not working at their preferred location, either remotely, in-person or a hybrid of the two, the survey results show.
About 59% of American workers say they only work in person, but only 38% said they would prefer to work all in person.
Likewise, 24% reported having a hybrid schedule, but 34% said they would prefer it. About 17% work completely remotely and 28% would prefer that arrangement.
More than two-thirds of workers (67%) reported experiencing at least one symptom related to workplace burnout in the past month, including lack of interest or motivation, low energy, feeling lonely or isolated or lack of effort at work.
The survey also found that people who feel "psychological safety" in the workplace - a sense of comfort expressing themselves or raising difficult issues without fear of retaliation - tend to be happier at work.
Workers with high levels of psychological safety are more likely to say they feel they belong, 95% versus 69% for workers with low psychological safety, the results show.
They are also more comfortable being in the workplace themselves, 95% to 75%, and are 10 times less likely to say they are in a toxic workplace, 3% versus 30%.
"Our survey findings underscore the need for employers to create psychologically safe work environments for their employees," Evans said. "We know from research that psychological safety not only enhances individual employee well-being, but strengthens the organization by fostering a culture of creativity, innovation and effective teamwork, which ultimately helps improve results."
This does not mean that workers have no hope for the future of the workplace.
Around two-thirds of workers (67%) believe a four-day work week will become standard in their lives, with 22% already working four days a week in 2024. This has increased from 17% in 2023 and 14% in 2022.
More information
Johns Hopkins University has more for young adults in the workplace.
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