Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 30) – About 23% of Filipino employees have considered quitting their jobs after experiencing some mental health issue in the past year, according to a survey.

A survey by mental health and wellness organization MindNation of 6,000 respondents found that employee absence, lost productivity and loss of talent were common costs for businesses and employers alike. workers struggled with their mental health in the midst of a pandemic.

The survey was conducted among employees between September 2020 and April 2021.

“In our database, 23% of employees say they ‘would’ consider quitting because of mental health and wellness issues,” the survey said, noting that it could lead to at least 5% of the total employee base in each company.

“The loss of talent is a major failure for the company because it takes days to find a replacement for a vacant position. It also involves additional time and effort on the part of the organization, as a new hire requires a integration and training, ”he added.

About 13% of employees said they tend to take sick leave due to mental health and wellness issues, but 11% prefer not to disclose their struggles to anyone.

Meanwhile, at least 35% of workers reported having productivity issues affecting their jobs, losing an average of two hours a day. This equates to a loss of one day a week or two months a year, the survey adds.

MindNation said these challenges have cost businesses at least £ 7million in the past year alone.

The group also said that the main sources of mental health problems are fear of COVID-19 (80%), financial pressures (47%), personal affairs (44%), pressure to perform at work ( 44%) and attempts to juggle family. and working together (25%).

The main challenges encountered at work include lack of focus and concentration, lower than normal self-confidence, problems sleeping and feeling depressed.

On a scale of 10 where 0 is depressed and 10 is equivalent to feeling better, workers also rated their mental well-being to be 6.5 after the pandemic, compared to 8 before the crisis.

Those most affected by the pandemic were workers between the ages of 18 and 25, single people with no children, full-time night workers, members of the LGBTQ community, and employees who prefer not to indicate their gender.

“These are the segments that companies should pay even more attention to during the pandemic,” MindNation wrote.

The group recommended that companies tackle the mental health crisis in the workplace by ending the stigma of mental health, partnering with a mental health care provider and creating a policy of compulsory business to help their workers achieve better mental health.