Report: The sandwich generation (35–44 years old) with the lowest level of wellbeing among Poles

Our world is a world of polycrisis – a reality where crises overlap and influence each other. Moreover, due to digitalisation and access to various sources of information, they are constantly present in our lives.

– We live in the world of the so-called crisis multiplication. We are struggling with an economic, geopolitical, climate, energy and many other crises. In addition, we are dealing with the progressive technologization of our lives, polarisation and the nanosecond culture, which force us to be in constant hurry and stressed. All this has a negative impact on our physical and mental health, on the quality of our relationships, and, consequently, on the functioning of society and the economy. It is therefore not surprising that achieving broadly understood wellbeing is one of the most important challenges today – emphasises Natalia Hatalska, CEO of infuture.institute.

According to the results of “The Wellbeing of Poles” report, our wellbeing is not in the best condition today. Over 60% of Polish residents admit that their wellbeing measured in six key areas – mental and physical health, comfort of life, inner peace, interpersonal relationships and contact with nature – is average at best. One in seven Poles rate it as low or very low.

– When we look at the wellbeing of Poles determined in the survey using an objective indicator, it turns out that the situation is even worse. The average wellbeing in our country is 4.9 on a 10-point scale, which is a low result – notes Natalia Hatalska.

The impact of crises on our wellbeing is also clearly visible in the factors that Poles indicate as supporting or disturbing their wellbeing. Stress overshadows life satisfaction most. However, among the elements that improve wellbeing, Polish residents mention financial independence (72%), good physical health (68%), a sense of security (64%), and mental health (63%).

- Functioning in an unpredictable, unpredictable and challenging reality requires us to support our wellbeing and the related resilience, which help us adapt to act effectively and build suppleness in new, often stressful situations. Certainly, the ability to support one’s wellbeing effectively is a competence of the future that we should master as soon as possible, both at the individual and institutional level – emphasises Natalia Hatalska.

Employers are already investing in wellbeing

For several years, companies have been increasingly interested in employee wellbeing. This is not surprising, since low and very low wellbeing is most often experienced by people aged 35–44, i.e. representatives of the so-called sandwich generation. These are professionally active people, often at the peak of their careers, who have children to take care of, and support their sick and ageing parents. The sandwich generation constitutes the core of the workforce. According to Central Statistical Office data, the average age of employees in Poland is just over 42 years old.

How we feel affects how we work and, therefore, the results the company employing us will achieve. As much as USD 2.5 trillion is at stake per year. This is how the cost of negligence in the context of employee wellbeing was estimated by the World Health Organisation. This amount includes lost productivity and absences from work. On the other hand, supporting the wellbeing of employees is one of the key elements in building friendly, desirable workplaces today. After all, as much as one third of our adult lives are spent in professional activity. The profession itself and the conditions which we work in also have a huge impact on our wellbeing and penetrate its various areas, such as mental health, relationships and finances.

– Gallup’s research clearly shows that employees working in companies that care about their overall wellbeing admit that they are less willing to change jobs (69%) or at risk of burnout (71%). As a result, employers intensify their activities and introduce tools supporting wellbeing. On the non-financial benefits market, new, dedicated products focusing on comprehensive support for wellbeing in many of its areas and building resilience are also being created, including the MultiLife programme developed in our company – a sister solution to the popular MultiSport cards – emphasises Emilia Rogalewicz, Management Board Member at Benefit Systems.

How to support wellbeing effectively? In a comprehensive and accurate manner.

To support wellbeing effectively, it is worth checking its level and verifying the areas that require support most urgently. – Today, all interested Poles have this opportunity. They can check their individual level of wellbeing for free at www.multilife.com.pl/badanie-dobrostanu. There, we have made available a free Wellbeing Score analytical tool developed in cooperation with infuture.institute, which was used to conduct a nationwide wellbeing survey – encourages Piotr Szostak, Strategy and Product Development Managing Director at Benefit Systems. – After completing the survey, each person will receive personalised recommendations that will help them take proper care of specific areas of wellbeing – he assures. The Wellbeing Score tool is also available as part of the MultiLife platform for companies that can measure the level of wellbeing in their organisation and, on this basis, develop a comprehensive wellbeing strategy tailored to their needs.

According to the report by Benefit Systems and infuture.institute, the highest level of wellbeing is achieved by people who take care of the elements of wellbeing of the internal world, that is physical and mental health, as well as inner peace (intro-focused) holistically and at a high level. People who build their wellbeing in all six areas – in addition to the internal world, they also support areas anchored in the external world, such as comfort of life, relationships with others, or contact with nature (holists) – can also enjoy a high level of wellbeing. – Wellbeing is living in balance, which includes many different factors that make up a whole. As a biologist, I would call it dynamic allostasis, i.e. striving for balance accompanied by constant variability and adaptation. Therefore, it is worth approaching wellbeing as a system of communicating vessels which we add resources to depending on individual, current needs to maintain balance – emphasises neuroscientist Joanna Wojsiat (Podgórska).

^{[1] The “sandwich generation” term was coined by Dorothy A. Miller, a professor at the College of Social Work, University of Kentucky}

^{“ The wellbeing of Poles ” report methodology: In the first stage of the research process, a quantitative survey was conducted on a representative sample of Poles (n = 1004). The survey was carried out using the CAWI method on the poznaj.to research panel, and includes summed indications (0, 1 – very low; 2, 3 – low; 4, 5, 6 – medium; 7, 8 – high; 9, 10 – very high). The survey was used to check what wellbeing means to Poles, what it consists of, what strengthens it, what counteracts it. The general level of wellbeing of Poles and the levels of care for individual areas of wellbeing were determined based on another quantitative survey conducted on a representative sample of Poles (n = 1,014). The survey was conducted by infuture.institute in cooperation with Benefit Systems.}

^{Benefit Systems has been operating on the Polish market for over two decades and is one of the leaders in providing non-financial benefits that support employee well-being. The company is the creator of the MultiSport Programme, which enables physical activity in sports facilities throughout the country. Its portfolio also includes the MyBenefit cafeteria platform and the MultiLife wellbeing programme. For several years now, the company’s sports offer has been developed on foreign markets, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Croatia. The Benefit Systems Group operates over 240 fitness clubs on four markets (in Poland it is responsible for the Fabryka Formy, FitFabric, Fitness Academy, My Fitness Place, Saturn Fitness, StepONE, Total Fitness and Zdrofit networks). An important area of Benefit Systems activities is the promotion of an active lifestyle at every stage of life, which is why the company implements initiatives supporting physical activity of children, adults, and seniors, also as part of the MultiSport Foundation. Since 2018, Benefit Systems has been part of the global B Corp initiative, bringing together companies operating and engaging in solving the most important social problems. More information can be found at benefitsystems.pl/en.}

^{infuture.institute is a forecasting institute that defines the most important trends, describes them and indicates the consequences for the economy, market categories and specific brands. The institute was established by Natalia Hatalska, one of the most influential and recognised experts in the field of analysis, forecasting and research on trends in market-brand-technology-consumer relations.}