At work, almost one in two employees in France say they waver psychologically. The OpinionWay study for Empreinte Humaine, carried out among 2,000 people, indicates that 45% of employees report psychological distress at work.
This level, already high in previous years, has increased further, a sign that mental health in the office is weakening. Permanent pressure, feeling of isolation, lack of recognition: the trio weighs heavily on minds and bodies.
In this tense climate, another signal attracts attention. Some young workers now refuse traditional management positions.
Psychological distress at work: the figures that worry French employees
Psychologist Claire Petin sees the rise of conscious unbossingor conscious dehierarchization. A phenomenon where Gen Z and Millennials no longer accept sacrificing their mental health to succeed.
For them, work becomes a means rather than an end. And the model of the heroic manager, available day and night, is no longer desirable. Behind this movement, our entire collective relationship to work is being questioned.
The OpinionWay study does not describe a marginal malaise. The barometer shows 47% of employees in distress, 32% say they are at risk of burnout, while 20% say they are burning out because of their work.
For work psychologist Christophe Nguyen, president of Empreinte Humaine, these figures reflect a deep fatigue in the professional world.
Behind these percentages, there are disrupted lives: insomnia, irritability, physical pain, difficulty concentrating, sick leave which is increasing. An analysis from the same system highlights that 60% of employees attribute this suffering to growing individualism in companies. Only 35% of organizations report having implemented real actions to prevent psychosocial risks.
Pressure, management and the quest for meaning: why work damages mental health
For Claire Petin, the current distress is fueled by a leadership model that is running out of steam.
“We can even speak of a real crisis because this questioning goes beyond a simple evolution of professional expectations,” she analyzes.
Young people no longer accept authority linked only to status; they expect real skills and a supportive posture. When management boils down to controlling, setting ever more objectives and filling in tables, it directly fuels psychosocial risks.
New generations have seen their elders burn out, between burn-out, bore-out and brown-out. They now prioritize life balance, refuse roles perceived as toxic for their mental health and seek meaningful missions.