Starting A New Job Creates Mental Health Challenges, Recent Study Shows

As the possibility of a recession approaches, job seekers remain optimistic about their prospects for the year ahead. In a recent Joblist survey of 30,000 job seekers in the United States, approximately two-thirds of respondents say they plan to change jobs in the next year. Despite fake job offers, growing economic concerns due to inflation and high interest rates, the majority of job seekers are actually feeling good about their position in the job market, according to the Joblist survey. They believe their job prospects are better now than a year ago, that it’s still a job seeker’s market and that they still have the upper hand, despite ongoing tech layoffs, rising inflation and the International Monetary Fund's prediction of a recession for a third of the world.

The Impact Of Job Jitters

A new Monster poll also found that 96% of workers are looking for or planning to look for a new job this year, but many of them have “new job jitters” from mental health challenges both within and beyond the workplace. Job hunters in the Monster study gave various reasons for seeking a new position. Key findings include:

• 67% say they were working at a toxic workplace and were burned out.
• 54% say their roles were different from what was described during the interview.
• 40% received a better offer at a different company.
• 16% were worried about the financial future of their company.
• 54% said they have stayed at a job for less than half a year before they “quick quit.”

During the job-seeking phase, job hunters said they were antsy about finding a job. Key findings include:

• 87% of job seekers have new job jitters starting a new job.
• 53% of workers say starting a new job is scarier than a trip to the dentist, holding a spider or snake and skydiving.

Once landing the job, workers are nervous about the onboarding process. Key findings include:

• 50% had moments when they worried they might be fired or viewed as unqualified.
• 46% had moments when they regretted accepting the new job offer.
• 30% had moments they wished they had stayed at their old job.
• 25% held off on putting in PTO requests.
• 22% say they didn’t perform to the best of their ability.
• 65% of workers felt imposter syndrome—feelings of self-doubt and personal incompetence.

Workers said their job jitters spilled over into their personal lives outside the workplace. Key findings include:

• 59% lost sleep due to new job jitters.
• 49% had negative physical or emotional symptoms.
• 35% struggled to balance all their personal and professional commitments.
• 19% say they struggled with their personal relationships.
• 25% report that job jitters lasted up to three months before they felt settled and comfortable at their new company, and seven percent say they didn’t feel settled until a full year on the job.

What Employers Can Do To Mitigate Job Jitters

Since job jitters seems to be an employee issue during the job seeking phase as well as during the onboarding process, I spoke with Dr. Nina Vasan, chief medical officer at Real, on how to get employees to speak up about mental health issues. “First and foremost there is still so much stigma,” she explained. “While more people are talking about mental health issues in society and in the workplace, many employees worry about talking about it in the workplace because they don’t feel confident their manager or workplace will be supportive.” She went on to say that workers worry that their performance will be judged differently if they disclose that they have a mental health issue. “People share they are worried they might not receive the same opportunities, won’t be promoted, their compensation will suffer or that they might even be let go.” She advises that changing the narrative starts at the top in every organization and suggests several actions leaders can take.

• Model vulnerability. “If leaders in your organization share openly about their mental health it opens up space for employees to share their own struggles.”
• Be proactive. “Check in on organizational health on an ongoing basis. Don’t wait until stress and burnout are running rampant in your organization.”
• Implement assessments. “Partner with your HR team to do employee engagement and wellness surveys to keep a pulse on the mental wellness of your organization.”
• Standardize mental health discussions. “Normalize having these conversations in the workplace one person at a time.”
• Provide benefits. “It is also critical for employers to look at the benefits they provide their employees. The current status quo for mental health coverage and utilization is still very low. When companies proactively change their benefits to include more mental health treatment options, that can have a huge impact on the mental health of their workforce. Qualities employers should look for when evaluating mental health benefits include: are these benefits engaging, inclusive and welcoming and can their employees use these benefits anytime and any place?”
• Consider after-hours. “One of the most important qualities of a mental health benefit is providing your employees with tools they can use ‘after work hours.’ We know that traditional healthcare hours overlap with traditional work hours, and it is critically important for people to get care and proactively address mental health issues outside of the traditional workday.”

What Employees Can Do To Mitigate Job Jitters

While employers have a responsibility to provide a mentally well work culture, it is also incumbent upon employees to take charge of their workplace mental health. Vasan shares five ways workers can protect themselves during remote and in-office work.

• Set boundaries. “This includes the hours you work and the workload you do (or don’t) take on. If you work from home, take steps to set boundaries between your work life and your home life so you aren’t working 24/7.”
• Engage in proactive care. “Don’t forget to make time for doctor’s appointments, integrate movement into your day and eat nutritious food to fuel your body. There’s a strong mind and body connection.”
• Take breaks throughout the day. “A five minute break every hour can dramatically increase your productivity and well-being. Taking appropriate breaks gives you time to recharge throughout the day. This can be as small as standing up from your computer and stretching or getting outside and walking around the block a few times.”
• Take a vacation. “Far too many people don’t take vacations proactively. They wait until they are facing burnout and ‘need’ a vacation. If your employer offers paid time off, take it! Disconnecting from work is a healthy way to prioritize your mental wellness.”
• Ask for help. “If you feel your workload or schedule is impacting your mental health, talk to your manager before things reach a crisis state.”