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Member Benefit

Engagement and Mental Health Are Inextricably Connected

Published Fri Dec 23 2022

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In the modern workplace, employers are quickly learning that mental health is a critical concern. And for good reason. A recent study revealed that 40 percent of US workers said that over the past six months their job has negatively affected their mental health. While protecting employees from negative mental health outcomes is the right thing to do, there’s also a business case for it. Mental health issues are linked to $47.6 billion in unplanned absences and loss of productivity every year—a major blow to organizations’ bottom lines. While there are no silver-bullet solutions for improving workers’ mental health outcomes, there is one factor that is foundational for improving them: engagement. Employee engagement is a powerful indicator of how positively or negatively a job is affecting an employee’s mental health. Simply put, the more supported and cared for an employee feels, the more engaged they’ll be. As a result, they are less likely to experience mental health issues like depression and anxiety. If you’re concerned about your employees’ mental states, take note of engagement levels. The latter can and does inform the former.

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