Wellbeing study | Workplace loneliness linked to high mental health risk in third of UK staff

A third of UK workers have a high mental health risk, driven by workplace loneliness, according to a new study.

TELUS Health has released its TELUS Mental Health Index with reports that examine the mental health of employed people in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Europe, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.

And the UK Index highlights alarming levels of isolation and loneliness among young workers in the UK. The Index also found that workers under 40 are 80% more likely to lack trusted workplace relationships compared to workers over 50.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared loneliness to be a pressing global threat, with the effects of isolation and loneliness now being recognized and compared to well-known health risks such as smoking, obesity and lack of physical activity. In fact, the US surgeon general is saying that its mortality effects are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.