No, Italians Are Not Well at Work. And It's Not Just a Gen Z Problem

The psychological well-being of Italian workers in 2025 is a topic of growing relevance that highlights a situation of widespread malaise and a growing demand for support from employees. And Serenis, an online medical center for mental and physical well-being , in collaboration with a research group from the Department of Economics and Business Sciences of the University of Padua (Martina Gianecchini, Simona Leonelli, Alessandra Tognazzo), has published the second edition of the research project "Observatory on psychological well-being in Italian companies" , to photograph the state of psychological well-being of Italian workers.

How is the investigation structured?

The new survey involved over 1,200 workers, from 18 to over 60 years old . The sample of respondents to the survey is mainly composed of women (77.6%), compared to 21.8% of men and 0.6% who identify as non-binary. From an age point of view, the most represented group is between 18 and 25 years old (63.1%), followed by 36-45 year olds (26.5%), 46-60 year olds (9.1%) and, to a lesser extent, those over 60 (1.3%). So, if you're wondering, yes, even young people - and in particular Generation Z and Millennials - are showing a growing interest in psychological well-being at work, often more marked than previous generations.

61% show an increasing level of psychological distress

But let's now look at some of the survey results, starting immediately with a critical fact: 61% of respondents show a growing level of psychological distress , a sharp increase compared to the 49.4% recorded in 2023. On average, the GHQ-12 indicator (General Health Questionnaire at 12 is a tool that detects the presence and frequency of non-chronic psychological symptoms experienced by the individual in the previous weeks) stands at 21.4 points, up from 20.1 in the last analysis. To give you an idea, in this study, scores lower than 15 are indicative of a state of well-being, values ​​between 15 and 20 suggest the presence of moderate signs of anxiety and stress, while scores higher than 20 indicate psychological distress with increasing levels of severity. A dramatic picture, considering that only 17% of respondents show signs of mental well-being .

“Wellbeing is built with environments where people can express themselves and where they are free to make mistakes.”

“While psychological well-being at work is a very important topic for over 6 out of 10 people, 57.8% of respondents say their company shows little interest in this aspect, up from 52.9% in 2024. Companies often struggle to understand that well-being is not built with benefits, but with environments where people can express themselves, feel listened to and free to make mistakes. Where autonomy and psychological safety are lacking, anxiety, dissatisfaction and detachment are more likely to emerge,” says Martina Migliore , psychotherapist and Training Director at Serenis.

The seventh short that satisfies young and old

But if young people (Millennials and Generation Z) feel better at work when they are listened to and not simply “managed”, and if they want to know “why” they are doing something and not just “what” they have to do, the more mature ones instead find greater relief in feeling appreciated for their skills and experience and prefer to be able to decide how to manage tasks independently. However, both agree on one fact. Among the proposals that gather the most consensus, in fact, the four-day work week is the most appreciated: 47.2% of workers would give up up to 10% of their salary to work just one day less, even if in person and with fixed hours, highlighting a strong need for flexibility. The latter, especially if structured effectively, is therefore confirmed as central to improving the psychological well-being of workers.

What workers really want to be better off

Ultimately, what do company workers really want to improve their mental well-being? First of all, psychological support programs mentioned by 85.3%. Then health checks and prevention campaigns , highlighted by 49.9%. Finally, mentoring and growth paths (39.3%). “ Today, the well-being of workers is an essential priority . People ask companies for a real commitment, made of listening, prevention and growth. Initiatives such as psychological support or mentoring paths are no longer a “plus”, but key elements for building a healthy, motivating and sustainable work environment in the long term”, concludes the psychotherapist.

Disillusionment with the world of work

In short, whether we are talking about Generation X, Millennials or Generation Z, the situation does not change. A cultural and organizational change is needed as soon as possible to improve the quality of work and the satisfaction of Italian workers. Also because otherwise there is a risk, in addition to stress, burnout and mental distress, especially among the youngest, of the phenomenon of the “great regret“ : people change jobs often, but no place seems to be right because “I thought it was my first job’s fault, but maybe it’s the whole system that isn’t right for me“.