McKinsey survey ranks Japan lowest in employee well-being

A recent global survey conducted by the McKinsey Health Institute has ranked Japan at the bottom for employees’ well-being, with Turkey topping the list, and India closely following in second place. The survey assessed employees’ physical, mental, social, and spiritual health to arrive at these conclusions.

Japan received a low score of 25 percent in the survey, while Turkey scored the highest at 78 percent, India followed closely at 76 percent, and China ranked at 75 percent, significantly higher than the global average of 57 percent. The survey collected input from around 30,000 participants across almost 30 countries.

Why Japan ranks lowest: Japan is known for offering stable, long-term job opportunities for its workers. However, the difficulty of switching jobs and finding better alternatives is a significant issue.

One board member of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc mentioned that there is a tendency in Japan to rate themselves low. He acknowledged significant issues in Japan related to workplace dissatisfaction and high stress levels. The majority of the Japanese workforce is employed under short-term contracts, contributing to employees’ dissatisfaction.

India’s standing: Indian participants in the survey indicated 81 percent for physical health, 79 percent for mental health, and 78 percent for social and spiritual health. The report also pointed out that Indian respondents had the highest rate of burnout symptoms at 59 percent, followed by Saudi Arabia at 36 percent, Egypt and Chile at 33 percent each. In contrast, Cameroonian respondents reported the lowest rate of burnout symptoms at 9 percent.

Factors like emotional or cognitive impairment and burnout significantly impact employees’ well-being. One common factor found in the survey was the prevalence of exhaustion, with more than a third of respondents in 29 surveyed countries reporting feeling exhausted.

Rising burnout: The report reveals that over 50 percent of workers display signs of burnout, which triples their likelihood of quitting their jobs. Across the 30 countries covered in the study, 22 percent of workers reported experiencing burnout symptoms at work. Researchers also found that workers aged 18 to 24, those employed by smaller companies, and non-managerial professionals had higher rates of burnout symptoms.