Half of US Workforce Suffers Panic Attacks and Depression Due to Money Worries, New Survey Finds
Data from Salary Finance reveals mental health and personal finance woes driving billions in business losses
BOSTON, March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- American businesses are losing $500 billion per year due to employees' personal financial stress, according to a new survey of more than 10,000 Americans by Salary Finance, the leading global provider of financial education and salary-linked savings and loans for employees. Nearly one in two US employees are worried about money, leading to depression, panic attacks, sleepless nights and distractions at work; this lost productivity comprises 2.5 percent of the US GDP.
Notable survey insights include:
- Americans of all ages worry more about finances than their health, careers or relationships. While 48 percent of all employees are worried about finances, the relationship between money and job title is surprising. Financial worries decrease as seniority increases until the department head level, then increase back to early career anxieties at the C-level.
- Most American employees feel limited by their finances. Only 6 percent of US employees feel that finances are not a lifestyle constraint. Even among employees with more than three months' savings for unexpected expenses, one in three is still worried about making ends meet.
- Employees' financial stress costs companies. Financially stressed employees lose nearly one month (23–31 days) of productive work days per year and are 2.2 times more likely to seek a new job opportunity. Lost productivity, turnover and other factors directly related to poor financial wellness cost the average company between 11 and 14 percent of their total payroll expense.
- Financial stress has a significant impact on mental health, productivity, sleep and personal relationships. Specifically, employees with money worries are:
- 3.4 times more likely to suffer from anxiety and panic attacks and 4 times more likely to suffer from depression
- 5.8 times more likely not to be able to finish daily tasks and 4.9 times more likely to have lower work quality
- 8 times more likely to have sleepless nights
- 4.5 times more likely to have poor relationships with colleagues
- Income is not an indicator of financial wellness. According to the survey, 34 percent of US employees are without savings and regularly live paycheck-to-paycheck; of these, one in four earns more than $160,000. Approximately 40 percent of people making more than $100,000 per year are financially unstable, with less than three months' savings.
"Historically, employers have viewed employees' personal finances as none of their concern, but American companies can't afford to continue to turn a blind eye to their employees' financial wellness," said Salary Finance CEO and co-founder, Asesh Sarkar. "The connection between financial and mental wellness can deteriorate if solutions are not readily made available to those struggling. Ignoring the impact of financial problems on workplace wellness will only continue to perpetuate this loop. Salary Finance provides a framework for employers to bring these conversations to the forefront and improve financial wellness for employees worldwide."
This financial wellness survey comes on the heels of Salary Finance's recent report about American households' ability to take on financial stress and pay day-to-day bills following potential financial setbacks. For more information about Salary Finance, please visit www.salaryfinance.com/us.
About Salary Finance
Founded in 2015, Salary Finance is an award-winning organization that partners with employers to offer financial wellness solutions that help employees improve their lives by improving their finances. A company underpinned by a social purpose, we're driven by an ambitious mission: To help 10 million Americans out of debt and into savings. Salary Finance is a United Way Worldwide corporate partner and works with some of the world's leading employers. To learn more, please visit www.salaryfinance.com/us.
About the Survey
Salary Finance commissioned an independent survey and report about US employees' financial concerns. The independent survey and report were developed in consultation with Dr. Annie Harper, a Yale University researcher who focuses her research on behavioral health and household finance, particularly in regard to how people cope with financial difficulties. The survey was completed by 10,481 respondents across 26 industry sectors. Respondents were screened on the basis of whether or not they were employed. The survey was weighed against the U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey for age, gender, and region of the United States to be representative of the population. Salary Finance was the sole investor in the survey. The survey period was November 26, 2018 – December 15, 2018. Data is available upon request.
Contact: Jadis Armbruster, (646) 756-3704, [email protected]
SOURCE Salary Finance
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