Deteriorating Mental Health Is Reducing Productivity

Employee productivity is inextricably connected to employee wellness. This doesn’t just mean gym memberships and smoking cessation programs; wellness refers to the complete person, with mental health being high on the priority list. Stressful workplaces not only lead to burned-out employees, they can also have a serious negative psychological impact. According to a recent study from an Australian mental health nonprofit called the Black Dog Institute, 14 percent of common mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression could be prevented simply by reducing job strain. The study also revealed that people experiencing job strain at age 45 were at a significantly increased risk of developing mental illness by age 50. Depression alone costs the U.S. economy more than $51 billion a year in absenteeism and $26 billion in treatment costs. “These findings serve as a wake-up call for the role workplace initiatives should play in our efforts to curb the rising costs of mental disorders,” said Samuel Harvey, University of New South Wales associate professor and lead author on the report. “It’s important to remember that for most people, being in work is a good thing for their mental health,” Harvey noted. “But this research provides strong evidence that organizations can improve employee well-being by modifying their workplaces to make them more mentally healthy.”