In May, PSHRA, a membership organization for public sector human resource officials, which represents more than 9,000 members, came out with a new report “The State of Employee Mental Health in the Public Sector.” Its findings were based on a survey of 419 public sector HR professionals – most from town, city, or county government and about 9 percent from states.

While the report looked into public sector employee mental health generally, some of the most intriguing findings were about HR professionals themselves. That data showed that more than half of HR workers reported experiencing workplace stress in the past two years, a 10 percent decrease from 2021, at the height of the pandemic. 

Still the bulk of the findings were somewhat bleak, even though a growing number of HR departments are putting greater emphasis on mental health initiatives. The report compared results to an earlier survey in 2021 and stated, “Four years later, stress and burnout remain significant issues throughout the public sector workforce, underscoring the importance of maintaining focus on employee mental well-being.”

A few of the key findings in the report (which is available only to PSHRA members) include: 

• “More than half of the HR professionals surveyed said their well-being was negatively impacted by their role in HR,” with a staggering 83% reporting that their “sleep was inhibited.”

• More than half “Of HR professionals have experienced workplace stress in the past two years (56%).

• “Twenty five percent of respondents reported that workplace stress is having n effect om their personal relationships.”

• “Workload (78%) and burnout (75%) were the most commonly cited drivers of employee’s mental health concerns. 

The PSHRA’s CEO Cara Woodson Welch was cited as saying in a release, this year’s data really underscores the importance of creating a work environment where employees are comfortable seeking mental health support, along with offering the resources workers need to navigate their mental well-being challenges.”

But as the report concluded, “There are also indications that the stigma surrounding mental health remain in the workplace, with many of these same survey participants saying they would be hesitant to seek support to help them address their mental health concerns.”

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