Poor Mental Health Harming Productivity, Report Says

One in five workers suffer from a mental illness such as depression or anxiety and these conditions increasingly affect productivity in the workplace as many struggle to cope, a report by the OECD said on Monday.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found people with mental illness are often off sick from work, and between 30 and 50 percent of all new disability benefit claims in OECD nations are now due to poor mental health.

Policymakers need to find new ways to tackle the social and economic problem of mental illness, the report said, as trigger factors, such as stress at work, are likely to increase.

“Increasing job insecurity and pressure in today’s workplaces could drive a rise in mental health problems in the years ahead,” it said.

“The share of workers exposed to work-related stress, or job strain, has increased in the past decade all across the OECD. And in the current economic climate, more and more people are worried about their job security.”

Depression alone is already a major cause of death, disability and economic burden worldwide and the World Health Organization predicts that by 2020 it will be the second leading contributor to the global burden of disease across all ages.

Two studies published in September and October found that up to 40 percent of Europeans suffer from mental and neurological illnesses each year, and the annual cost of brain disorders is almost 800 billion euros.

The OECD’s report, entitled “Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health at Work” found that most people with a mental disorder are in work, with employment rates of between 55 percent and 70 percent — about 10 to 15 percentage points lower than for people without a disorder.

But people with mental illness are two to three times as likely to be unemployed as people with no mental health problems. This gap represents a economic major loss, the report said.

“Most common mental disorders can get better, and the employment chances be improved, with adequate treatment,” the OECD said.

But it said health systems in most countries were narrowly focused on treating people with severe disorders such as schizophrenia, who account for only a quarter of all sufferers.

“Taking more common disorders more seriously would boost the chances for people to stay in, or return to, work,” the OECD said, adding that around 50 percent of people with severe mental disorders and more than 70 percent of those with moderate illness currently get no treatment at all.

The OECD urged policymakers to focus on providing good working conditions which help employees reduce and manage stress, to introduce systematic monitoring of sick leave, and to help employers reduce workplace conflict and avoid unnecessary dismissal caused by mental health problems.

• Canadian employers lose $3.5-billion to stress-related employee costs every year.
• One in three North American workers are stressed out due to excessive work demands and hours.
• 26-40% of American employees report high levels of work stress and one quarter see their job as the number one stressor in their lives.
• Every day more than a million American workers are absent from work in the due to stress.
• The average cost of stress-related absenteeism is $602 per worker per year in the U.S.
• 60-80% of accidents on the job are stress related.
• On average, Canadian workers miss 9 days per year due to illness and disability.
• Health care costs are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of work stress.
• One half of deaths in Canada and the US are caused by stress-related illness and disease.
• The leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease – 75% of coronary heart disease is related to stress.
• 25%-35% of new disability claims are for mental health and nervous disorders.
• Stress-related mental health claims are expected to become the leading cost of short- and long-term disability claims.
• 40% of staff turnover in the United States is due to stress – replacing an average employee costs between $3,000 – $13,000.
• The negative consequences of workplace stress and trauma are increasing overall

(Refs: American Institute of Stress, Canadian Policy Research Networks, Statistics    Canada, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, European Agency for Safety and Health    at Work, Health Canada, Canadian Mental Health Association, Global Business and    Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, National Institute for    Occupational Safety and Health.)

• A sophisticated understanding of the mechanisms and effects of workplace stress and trauma in your environment
• An opportunity to identify the sources of resilience and risk in your workplace and personal life
• Self-assessment profiles of your current risk for workplace systemic and traumatic stress
• Self-assessment profile of your current levels of self-care in your personal and work life
• Self-assessment profile of your current levels of stress symptoms and effect
• Tools to develop an effective and practical wellness plan for your personal life
• A framework to develop realistic and effective strategies for your workplace

The individual online format provides particular advantages:

• It allows you to look more deeply at your own experiences and beliefs in a completely confidential and safe environment
• You are encouraged to print and save the results of your responses to the exercises, and your self-assessment
• This program is designed for repeated use – you can print out and compare your profiles over time
• You can flexibly schedule your own time to take the program
• You can hold yourself accountable to the plans and commitments you make to yourself

The program also provides guidance to help you self-facilitate discussions and activities in your workplace. These are designed to help you develop strategies and protocols which will increase the resiliency of your workplace and improve organizational health.

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This workshop introduces managers to the critical role of Leadership strategies within our unique 4-tier Organizational Health Model. Understanding and applying our practical and comprehensive Organizational Health Model helps managers to effectively approach the complex human challenges that effect every aspect of organizational functioning. The goals and objectives of the workshop are:

• To introduce and apply the Organizational Health Model, and to discuss the risk and resiliency factors driving your Organizational Health profile
• To explore the vital role of managers in Organizational Health
• To provide self-assessment tools that allow managers to discover their areas of strength and challenge.
• To explore areas that are most challenging for managers: e.g., recruitment and retention, change management, staff turnover, building trust, transitioning into the manager’s role, communicating up and down, mentoring/coaching staff, generational differences, etc.
• To teach skills addressing the most prominent concerns, and explore strategies for managing challenging situations with staff.
• Facilitate dialogue to enhance development of a community of practice for managers.
• To identify areas for further training needs.

Download the PDF Brochure

Participant, The Critical Role of Leadership in Organizational Health