Millennials are More Likely to Face Depression at Work

Millennials are more likely to face depression at work as compared to their peers from different generations, according to new research.

With five distinct generations poised to all co-exist in the workplace simultaneously for the first time in history, multigenerational issues and the potential for conflicts have become the focus of much research.

Bensinger, DuPont & Associates (BDA), a national provider of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services, wanted to find out if there are generational differences in regard to how the workforce experiences personal problems.

BDA’s data showed that millennials reported the highest levels of depression with about 1 in 5 of those who sought out employee assistance or work-life advice screening positive, in comparison to 16% of baby boomers and 16% of Gen Xers.

The study revealed that the most common impact depression has on jobs, regardless of age group, is a condition known as presenteeism. This occurs when people technically report to work, but fail to function in full capacity as a result of depression.

That feeling, BDA reported, affected 70% of millennials in the study who screened positive for depression. It also was present in 68% of Gen Xers and 63% of baby boomers.

Overall, 17% of BDA’s EPA users screened positive for depression. The breakdown by generation was as follows:

• Boomers – 16%
• Gen X – 16%
• Millennials – 20%

Aside from presenteeism, other job impacts found included:

• Absenteeism – Boomers, 16%; Gen X, 19%; Millennials, 18%
• Relationship issues – Boomers, 10%, Gen X, 6%; Millennials, 6%
• Disciplinary action – Boomers, 11%; Gen X, 7%; Millennials, 6%

Depression, the BDA white paper notes, is a significant psychological disorder that can have serious impacts in the workplace. The firm concludes that its data shows that each generation does experience its impacts related to performance.

Even so, there are trends worth noting in regard to how each generation is mostly likely to experience workplace challenges.

Based on the findings, BDA recommends “workforces pursue additional training and informational campaigns around detecting the signs and symptoms of depression.” It also urges the creation of multigenerational strategies for dealing with employees who experience depression at work.

BDA’s data for this report came from employees seeking its EAP services over an 18-month period from January 2013 to June 2014.

The report defines millennials as those born between 1978 and 1999. Gen Xers are those born between 1965 and 1977. Baby boomers are those born between 1946 and 1964. Traditionalists are those born between 1927 and 1945. Gen Z, those born after 1999, were not included in the study due to the small sample size presently available.

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