88% Indians would trade high-paying jobs for mental wellbeing: Survey

Working long hours emerged as the primary reason behind work-related stress (Image: Shutterstock)

A majority of Indians would rather take a lower-paying job if it meant less stress and better mental health, a survey conducted by UKG has found. UKG, a US-based workforce management firm, found that 88% of employees in India would give up their high-paying jobs for mental wellbeing, as compared to 70% employees in the US.

The Financial Express reported these findings earlier this week, noting that long hours spent in office is the primary cause for work-related stress.

33% Indian employees said that working long hours is the primary trigger for stress, which in turn affects their professional performance. 34% said they experience decreased concentration, while 31% are unable to build healthy relationships with colleagues. Loss of productivity is experienced by 26% of respondents as a result of stress.

The survey also found that many employees are wary of reaching out to their managers with their concerns. Only 51% of employees in India speak to their manager every week about their workload, while 30% do it once a month.

In terms of balancing the personal and professional, 46% Indians ranked relationship with their family as most important, while 37% said work was most important. This was followed by health, selfcare and exercise (30%) and relationship with friends (26%).

“The pandemic has revealed the importance of mental health and employees are now increasingly prioritising their mental health over a high-paying job. The salary structure they seek is comparatively lower than what they get paid in their existing jobs. This is important as a company is defined by its people, and people are an organisation’s ultimate purpose,” Sumeet Doshi, country manager at UKG India, said.

Doshi added that employees perform better when driven by a positive sense of purpose at the workplace, and that organisations need to cultivate a work culture that prioritises the mental wellbeing of its staff.