Generation Z is Depressed and Managers Need to Act Now

The world has become more unpredictable since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. Workplaces and work processes have been disrupted and more and more people are struggling with mental health issues.

A study by the OECD found that from March 2020, the prevalence of anxiety and depression increased and in some OECD-member countries even doubled. The OECD found that in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, the prevalence of depression in early 2020 was also double or more than double than observed during the years before.

In the Asia Pacific region, Sandpiper Communications surveyed 1,226 Gen Zs (those aged 18 to 24 years) across Australia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

They found that more than 7 in 10 Gen Z adults in the Asia Pacific were experiencing symptoms of depression such as: feeling tired, doing nothing, having trouble thinking and concentrating and feeling very restless, lonely, miserable or unhappy.

In 2021, on the back of the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, Naluri conducted a regional assessment, the largest of its kind, to determine the mental health impact on the population in Southeast Asia. A total of 10,330 respondents in Malaysia, ranging from 18 to 65 years of age, were surveyed.

The results of the survey unearthed a troubling, yet unsurprising insight: the most depressed respondents were the Gen Zs. Incidentally, they also reported being affected by anxiety and stress. Naluri’s findings were consistent with another study of adults in Malaysia, which found that younger adults reported worse mental health than others surveyed.

“I think when it comes to Gen Zs, feeling anxious and depressed in this climate is quite common, and I am not surprised about Naluri’s findings, because there is just so much out of everyone's control.

“In the context of work and the workplace, what managers must do, first and foremost, is support their teams and help them define what it means to work,” says Naluri’s People Manager Kristina Teow.

What Gen Z employees need, therefore, is not criticism, but support.

“Many employees, especially young employees, join work and they think that they have to be on 24/7, they think that work means ‘I sacrifice my life’ and this includes sacrificing social life, sleep, rest and boundaries,” Teow explains. She adds that longer time spent at work does not equate to value, which is what employees put in at their jobs.

“So then, that dives into my next point, which is the sense of identity that people have around work. With social media, you will see that on Instagram and LinkedIn, everything is so focused on what each person has achieved, what each person has been certified on, or what new badges they are getting, and receiving. And every week, you just read posts about: ‘I achieved this, I got this job, I got that job’, which adds to the pressure.”

Teow notes that it is important for Gen Zs to delineate the identity of work versus life. “Managers should guide Gen Zs on that front, let them know that this is how you think about work. This is how you make meaning with work, how you create healthy relationships with work and how it doesn't define you.”

Support, not criticism, goes a long way. “Managers who receive feedback or are having conversations about depression with Gen Z employees shouldn't deny it.”

“Just start by acknowledging it, that is the first step. And then after you acknowledge it, just see what support you can provide. Do your employees need more flexible work options? Do they need a better way of communicating? Ask ‘What is it that's also making you anxious about the workplace?’ and ‘Can I help support you on that front?’ I think just providing that safe space is enough for some Gen Zs to just feel that ‘okay, at least this is a workplace that I can be myself in’.”

There are some things that managers should definitely avoid doing when dealing with Gen Z employees with symptoms of depression, says Teow.

“Let's say a Gen Z employee comes up to you and says: ‘Can I speak to you, I’ve been feeling depressed lately', or ‘I spoke to my therapist last weekend’. Not every manager, depending on their background, experience and generation, will be comfortable with that. So the biggest pitfall is that managers shut down that conversation when it opens up.”

“This actually is an opportunity that opens up a two-way conversation between you and your employee. Firstly, for you on how you can support him or her and secondly, for your employee to express how he or she can keep up with work whilst dealing with this. So the pitfall is if someone comes up to you and says ‘I’m depressed' and you just shut it down and say, ‘you know, back in my day, I worked harder than you. You have everything. Why are you feeling depressed?’ Don’t invalidate their experience; I think it's very important to be able to acknowledge it in the first place.”

Next, it's important to provide resources that Gen Zs actually want to use. “We are targeting a generation that's like, ‘I don't want to pick up the phone. I don't want to call someone and am not ready to see a therapist in person yet’, but if they ever need help, starting a chat is a very small but profound step that they can take.”

Someone with a clinically diagnosed condition likely knows where they can seek professional help, but if they're contending with feelings or symptoms, they need to know where they can look for answers.

Depression or depressive symptoms can have a profound impact on workplace innovation and productivity, communication and collaboration, especially in the time of hybrid work and managers need to be more aware and sensitive towards their employees’ struggles and proactively be in a position to provide at least preliminary support and resources.