The Business Case for Workplace Mental Health
If you are in any doubt about the strength of argument for improving the psychological health of your employees then look at these sobering facts.
If you are in any doubt about the strength of argument for improving the psychological health of your employees then look at these sobering facts.
61% of employees are
burned out on the job.
(CareerBuilder)
The World Health Organisation has just included ‘Job Burn-out’ in its classification of diseases!
TOP 5 STRESS SYMPTOMS causing missed workdays are: (CareerBuilder) 2
- 29% Constant Fatigue
- 26% Sleeplessness
- 24% Aches and Pains
- 23% High Anxiety
- 18% Weight Gain
Think about these stats – this relates to when staff are taking time off work – the days that they DO come in, do you think they are going to be operating at their peak performance levels? This is called presenteeism.
38 of wellness program participants said it helped 16 them take fewer sick days. (HealthMine)
Analysis – almost half took fewer sick days. Lets assume this only means 1.8 days less sick leave in a year, for this company paying average wages in today's environment would be a business saving of $7,660. (1.8 x average daily hours x average hourly rate)
ORGANIZATIONS with highly effective health and productivity programs report: (Buffett National Wellness Survey)
- 11% higher revenue per employee
- 1.8 fewer days absent per employee per year
- 27% greater shareholder returns.
WHAT EMPLOYERS ARE SAYING about their wellness programs (IFEBP)
- 67% reported increased employee satisfaction
- 66% reported increased productivity
- 63% reported increased financial sustainability & growth
- 50% reported decreased absenteeism
All of these statistics directly relate to EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT – that is, having workers cognitively and emotionally attached to their own and the businesses performance in a POSITIVE WAY. The short answer – they WANT to be at work and they WANT to do a great job – sounds like a business that any CEO would be happy to lead.