Research conducted at the University of South Australia, found that full-time workers who work in a toxic work environment and are employed by organisations that fail to prioritise their employees' mental health have a 300% increased risk of being diagnosed with depression.
Additionally, the study found that in such workplaces, long working hours (41-48 hours a week and upwards of 55 hours a week) were detrimental to employees' mental health, even when workers felt engaged in what they were doing. The research was done with 1,084 employees working in New South Wales, Western Australia and Southern Australia.
According to the study, a workplace usually becomes toxic when the toxicity starts flowing from the top, with poor management practices, priorities and values. Evidence shows that companies who fail to reward or acknowledge their employees for hard work, impose unreasonable demands on workers and do not give them autonomy, are placing their staff at a much greater risk of depression.
As per the findings, male participants were more likely to develop major depression symptoms as a result of PSC than the females in the study.