Employers believe Millennials are the generation most affected by stress and anxiety, although younger employees report the highest levels of work-related stress themselves, according to new research from GRiD.
Millennials are viewed by employers as the generation under the greatest pressure from stress and anxiety, with concerns centred on financial worries, home life and work.
New research from GRiD, the industry body for the group risk sector, found employers are more likely to associate stress linked to finances (43%), home life (42%) and work (41%) with Millennials than with Baby Boomers, Gen X or Gen Z employees.
While employers identified Gen Z as being slightly more affected by work-related stress than Millennials (42% compared with 41%), the difference was marginal. Overall, Millennials were seen as the generation experiencing the greatest level of stress and anxiety.
Employees paint a slightly different picture
When employees were asked about their own experiences, Gen Z reported the highest levels of stress across all three areas measured.
More than a quarter (28%) of Gen Z employees said they experienced work-related stress and anxiety, compared with 22% of Millennials, 14% of Gen X and 7% of Baby Boomers.
Gen Z employees were also most likely to report stress linked to finances (19%) and home life (17%), although Millennials reported similar levels of home-life stress (16%).
The findings suggest that while employers are particularly concerned about the pressures facing Millennials, younger employees perceive themselves as experiencing the highest levels of stress.
Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD, said different generations face different challenges and employers should be careful not to make assumptions about who is most affected.
“While younger generations may report higher stress levels, pressure is not limited to one age group, as different cohorts face distinct challenges, such as Gen X and Millennial women carrying a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities while working, and middle-aged men being less likely to speak up despite their well-documented need for mental health support.”
Avoid making assumptions
GRiD says the findings highlight the importance of taking a broad approach to supporting employee mental health rather than designing benefits around assumptions about particular age groups.
The organisation recommends that employers provide support that helps prevent stress from escalating, alongside access to counselling, therapy and specialist mental health services where needed.
Moxham added:
“The evidence shows that employees across all generations experience stress, reinforcing the need for a broad and generation-agnostic approach to mental health support in employee benefits. For employers, this underlines the importance of avoiding assumptions about which groups may be most affected.”
The research also highlights the role of early intervention, with employers encouraged to provide a range of wellbeing resources that support employees before stress and anxiety become more serious.
GRiD’s research compared employer perceptions with employee experiences of stress and anxiety related to work, finances and home life across Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z.
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