Nine out of ten of students in the 2023 graduating class believe that employers should offer mental and emotional health benefits, a new survey finds.
Flexibility within workplace environments and work hours were also high on the list of preferences.
92% of graduating students interested in mental health awareness in the workplace is a high number, and looks like the clearest evidence yet that we’re seeing a the generational shift towards tackling health needs in all their complexity.
82% of Students Say They Plan to Use Mental Health Resources in the Future
The survey, out from the student-focused virtual clinic platform TimelyCare, also found that 36% of graduating students will turn first to companies that offer mental health benefits when seeking a job.
“92% of students say employers should offer mental and emotional health benefits, and more than a third (36%) are prioritizing those companies during their job search. In general, 82% of students plan to use resources to support their mental health after graduating.”
Presumably, plenty of them have already found companies that offer the benefits they need: As of early April, 59% of seniors say they’ve landed a job prior to graduating, a percentage that’s down only a tad from the same survey in 2022, when it reached 62%.
Covid-19’s Impact Continues
Assuming a four-year undergrad path, 2023’s grads would have all started their college experience with the 2019-2020 year. Needless to say, a certain novel coronavirus really disrupted everyone’s Spring semester that year.
The Covid-19 pandemic has cast a long shadow ever since, as well: Nearly eight in 10 (79%) graduating students say COVID-19 “impacted their workforce preparedness,” the survey says, while 68% of them say the pandemic’s impact on their mental health was their number one reason for feeling less prepared.
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Companies With Flexibility Benefits Can Attract Gen Zers
The seniors also mentioned another big workplace benefit the majority approves of: Flexiblity.
Salary aside, the class of 2023 found two key factors for picking a job: Flexible work hours (72%) and a flexible work environment (49%).
The importance of vacation time (39%) and even medical benefits (45%) didn’t rank as highly as offering hours outside of the standard. Over one in five (21%) even said they would like to be fully remote — even as plenty of tech businesses are rolling back that particular benefit.
Today’s Workers Don’t All Get the Help They Need
New graduates might face a bit of a culture clash when seeking mental health support at work, however: As we covered last month, 45% of today’s employees say they’re “too busy” or “too embarrassed” to seek care — even while a full 64% of them do say that they are struggling with mental and behavioral health.
Hopefully the generational shift can continue within workplaces just as well as within higher education institutes.
