Summertime blues: Over half of education professionals say work has damaged their mental health

Are you feeling down right now? With summer drawing to a near close, a new survey from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, reveals that education professionals are feeling the effects of the upcoming seasonal change, with over half (56.9%) claiming that work is damaging their mental health. 

The research, which surveyed over 2,000 professionals, found that almost half (49.7%) of education professionals even considered resigning from their job because of this, with a further 62% stating that their workplace doesn’t do enough to support employees.  

When asked what their workplace could do to support employees with mental health issues, the respondents suggested the following:

• Reduce pressure to work longer hours (46.7%) 
• Promote a healthy work-life balance (43.3%) 
• Allow employees to take time out when they need to (39.5%) 
• Refer employees to a counselling service (36.7%) 

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments on the findings: 

“At this point in the year, daylight is dwindling, schools are set to reopen and the next prolonged period of time off may seem far away. It’s no wonder then that employees are already facing the post-summer blues; especially in education where teachers have to prepare for a new intake of students.

“Indeed, the survey shows that those in education are feeling the effects of working longer hours; even in the summer personal time is quickly eaten up by marking and planning classes for the year ahead. It’s completely normal to struggle with the transition between the seasons, so don’t be afraid to put your mental health first by prioritising your work-life balance.”   

When asked who they’d be most likely to talk to about their mental health, a partner ranked highest (49%), with family (43.1%) and friends (37.3%) following. Shockingly, a fractional 5.9% of education professionals listed their boss as who they’d talk to, underlining that they are not seeking support from their employers.  

Biggins continues: “Our research shows the changes that education professionals most want to see in the workplace, but these aren’t likely to take effect if you don’t raise the subject with your employer. The more of us that speak out about our problems, the quicker we can establish change at work. Once we shake the stigma, solutions will follow.”