APA poll reveals toxic workplaces, other significant workplace mental health challenges

A new survey from the American Psychological Association revealed that 19% of workers say their workplace is very or somewhat toxic, and those who reported a toxic workplace were more than three times as likely to have said they have experienced harm to their mental health at work than those who report a healthy workplace (52% vs. 15%).

APA’s 2023 Work in America Survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll among 2,515 employed adults nationwide between April 17 and April 27, 2023.

More than 1 in 5 workers (22%) said they have experienced harm to their mental health at work, and 22% of workers said they experienced harassment at work in the past 12 months—compared with 14% in 2022.

By work type, those who work in customer/client/patient service jobs (31%) were more likely than manual laborers (23%) and office workers (22%) to report experiencing verbal abuse at work. Approximately 1 in 10 manual laborers (12%) reported that someone within their organization displayed physical violence toward them, whereas about 1 in 20 office workers and customer/client/patient service workers reported the same (5%, 6%, respectively).

“The number of individuals who report experiencing a toxic workplace without protection from harm is troubling,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, APA’s chief executive officer. “No one should feel fear at work. It is clear there is much work to be done to foster a positive work environment for all workers in the nation.”

Discrimination also is a serious issue reported by workers, with more than 1 in 5 (22%) saying they witnessed discrimination in their current workplace and 15% reporting they experienced discrimination. In addition, more than a quarter (28%) reported having witnessed negative slights, insults or jokes that devalued the identity or negated the thoughts and feelings of others based on their identity or background. Nearly one-fifth (19%) of workers said they had been the target of these behaviors.

For this year’s survey, APA looked to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health and Well-Being in the Workplace to evaluate the health of a workplace. The survey report highlights recommendations for how to implement improvement across the surgeon general’s “Five Essentials” for pursuing workplace mental health and well-being. Fundamental to the surgeon general’s first framework tenet, “protection from harm,” is that employers should protect workers from toxic workplaces. The other four essentials are: connection and community, work-life harmony, mattering at work, and opportunity for growth. The data indicate that these elements are highly desired by many of the employees surveyed.

Despite challenges revealed by the survey, the data show there is improvement in the workplace regarding mental health support. The majority (77%) of workers reported being very (36%) or somewhat (41%) satisfied with the support for mental health and well-being they receive from their employers, and more than half (59%) strongly (22%) or somewhat (37%) agreed that their employer regularly provides information about available mental health resources.

These positive developments are encouraging, particularly since most survey respondents (92%) indicated that it is very (57%) or somewhat (35%) important to them to work for an organization that values their emotional and psychological well-being, and 92% said it is very (52%) or somewhat (40%) important to them for their employer to provide support for employee mental health.

“Our survey data confirm that employees prioritize both physical and psychological support at work, and that the practices employers are putting in place are heading in the right direction,” said Evans. “However, it is clear there are many areas that require improvement. The number of workers experiencing not only a toxic workplace, but also increasing amounts of stress and a lack of respect concerning their personal time, is disturbing. The American Psychological Association is committed to providing both employers and employees tools to combat these trends and increase psychological well-being across the workplace in America.”

Methodology

The research was conducted online in the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association among 2,515 employed adults. The survey was conducted April 17th to 27th, 2023. The survey was weighted to be representative of the broader population. A full methodology is available here.