Amid the highest unemployment rate in recent decades and massive job losses around the country, most workers feel happy to at least be employed. What they aren't feeling, however, is healthy.

    One in three workers has at least one symptom of clinical depression; 41 percent say they feel stressed sometimes, often, or very often; and one in five has trouble falling asleep often or very often. In all, 14 percent are being treated for high cholesterol and one in five is taking blood-pressure-lowering medication.

    In fact, the percentage of workers who say they're in excellent health has dropped from 34 percent in 2002 to 28 percent in 2008, according to a report recently released by the Families and Work Institute （FWI）, a nonprofit research company.

    Some workplaces are healthier than others

    Not all workplaces are created equal when it comes to health. In fact, 38 percent of workers at certain jobs -- called "effective" workplaces in the report -- were much more likely to say they were in excellent health. Conversely, only 19 percent of employees in workplaces with a low effectiveness rating reported being in excellent health.

    So what makes an effective workplace? Six factors make a difference. Workers may feel healthier if they have learning opportunities and challenge, a good fit between work and personal life, autonomy, having a supervisor who supports job success, economic security -- no surprise in this economy -- and a work climate of respect and trust.

    Feeling a lack of control in the workplace or not enough support from a supervisor may lead to feelings of helplessness which in turn can spiral into depression.

    According to the report, one of the biggest predictors of feeling healthy is a balance between work and personal life. If someone has difficulty with this balance, then they're going to be cutting back wherever they can," including on important components of a healthy lifestyle, like getting enough sleep, shopping for and preparing healthy food, and exercising.

    What employers--and employees--can do

    It's a tough economy, and many employers may feel that they have no choice but to cut corners. For example, the researchers found that employees with paid sick days and more paid vacation days reported better health. Although these options may cost employers, there are other things employers can do -- such as promoting a respectful work environment -- to become more effective workplaces.

    Allowing employees to work earlier or later could even benefit the company, for example, by extending hours of business or productivity each day. It can also help to survey employees and listen to their suggestions, which can bolster employees' feelings of control.

    Employees can take matters into their own hands too. Half of the workers in the survey didn't exercise regularly, and 25 percent smoked. In 2002, 21 percent were obese, but by 2008, that number had jumped to 26 percent. So taking charge of your health outside of the workplace is a good place to start.

    You can also gauge your workplace's effectiveness （and make suggestions for improvement） by taking the FWI's quiz.

    The survey, which is updated every five years, focused on about 2,800 workers who were salaried or paid on an hourly wage basis.

    在近二十几年的高失业率，国内工作数量的大幅度减少过程中，大多数工作者为能有份工作而感到高兴。然而他们却没有想到他们的健康问题。

    三个职工之中就有一个人至少患有一种抑郁症的临床症状；41%的职工说他们有时，经常，甚至频繁感到压抑；五分之一的人经常或频繁有睡眠问题的困扰。总体看来，有14%的职工正在接受高胆固醇的治疗，五分之一的职工正在降血压。

    实际，最近家庭和工作研究会（一家非营利研究公司）调查报告表明认为自己健康的职工比例从2002年的34%降到2008年的28%.

    某些职业比其他的更健康

    谈到健康，并不是所有的职业都是一样的情况。事实上，某些工作既报告中所谓的"有效地"职业中有38%的职工更愿意认为他们是处于优秀的健康状况中。相反，在那些低效率的职业中只有19%的员工认为他们是非常健康的。

    那么什么可以使工作有效呢？6种因素改变一切。当职工有学习并接受挑战的机会，工作与私人生活的和谐状态，拥有自主权，有一个管理者助他工作成功，经济保障，有一个尊重与信任的工作环境，他会感觉自己是健康的。

    感到在工作中失去控制，或从主管那里得不到足够的支持可能就导致了这种无助感，也就导致了压抑感。

    报告显示，对感到健康最大预测就是工作与私人生活之间的平衡。如果感到很难维持这种平衡，那他们就会又回到原点，包括健康生活方式的重要部分，例如睡眠充足，购买并准备健康的饮食，以及锻炼。

    雇主与被雇者该如何做

    这是一个经济艰难的时代，很多雇主认为他们别无选择，只能缩小空间。例如，研究人员发现带薪休病假和享有带薪假日的受雇人员更健康。尽管这些会使雇主花掉一些成本，然而拥有一个更加有效率的工作地点还有其他是他们能做的，像是制造一个相互尊重的工作环境。