Morneau Shepell, a North American leader in integrated HR solutions, released its May 2020 Mental Health Index™ results. Measuring against a benchmark of 75, employees whose salaries were reduced in May, reported lower mental health scores (-12.7) than those who recently lost their jobs (-10.5). Those who experienced a reduction in salary may have lower mental health scores due to the uncertainty of their future, whereas those who recently lost their jobs may have a temporary cushion of a severance package. For context, 63 percent of US respondents indicated that they remained employed at the same income level, while 27 percent indicated either a reduction in hours or salary. Meanwhile, 10 percent reported recent job loss.
People in households with five or more adults have the lowest Mental Health Index™ scores of any group (-14.7 compared to the benchmark of 75). This group also had a very significant decline from where they were in April (-8.3). The main factors affecting this group’s mental health include the risk of exposing older loved one to virus; the return of adult children; multiple adults working from home; or having more than one adult being exposed to risk by going in and out of the home.
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Overall, the May results showed a slight improvement in Americans’ mental health, compared to the sharp dive it took in April with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mental Health Index™ shows that in May, Americans had a mental health score of -6.0, which is a slight improvement from April’s score of -8.0. April’s score marked the greatest decline in the mental health of Americans for the past three years, during which Morneau Shepell compiled the benchmark mental health data.
Impacted industries, non-healthcare essential workers show signs of strain
Worker mental health varied by industry when comparing to the benchmark. On the low end of the scale, arts/entertainment/recreation (-13.9), accommodation (-10.5) and utilities (-10.0) continued to see declines in worker mental health. Of those groups, workers in the arts/entertainment/recreation and accommodation (the hotel industry) face uncertain futures as many parts of the country remain on lockdown. Utility workers are continuing to work as usual – potentially at risk of exposure to the virus – but they are not as visible and as such do not receive the same level of much-deserved public displays of gratitude and societal support as many other essential workers. Meanwhile, respondents who worked in administrative services (-7.6), management of companies (-7.0) and construction (-5.3) saw the greatest improvements.
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