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Office Safety, Part 2: Mental Health in the Workplace

Posted by Joshua Fleishman on Mon, Jun 17, 2013 @ 12:30 PM

Welcome to part two of our new 6-part web series on office safety. In this blog article, we will be covering a once overlooked topic that has now been brought more to light, “Mental Health in the Workplace.”

Workplace Mental Health

The workplace is most definitely a double-edged sword. It can be a great contributor to one’s mental well-being, giving them an opportunity to feel productive, but also contribute to mental health problems and illnesses including depression and anxiety. Most adults spend as much time (if not more, an average of almost 9 hours) at their workplace as their own homes. This makes it an important topic to discuss and vital to general office safety. In fact, just over 26% (almost 58 million) of Americans ages 18 and older (the demographic that make up the American workforce) are affected by ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) alone.

Workplace mental health is a factor that actually impacts both productivity, employee retention, and well, the bottom line really. It is a crucial factor in maintaining a successful business that is often likely to be overlooked. Mental health and substance abuse disorders are costing American businesses an estimated $80 to $100 billion annually. You can calculate the cost of depression and alcoholism in your workplace by utilizing some free Web-based calculators (for example: www.alcoholcostcalculator.org).

Office safety, Employee mental healthA recent study was made by Harvard University Medical School of the financial impact of 25 chronic physical and mental issues for employers. Here are the top five:

  1. Depression (single most expensive ailment for employers)
  2. Obesity
  3. Arthritis
  4. Back and neck pain
  5. Anxiety (an extraordinarily common occurrence in the stressful modern workplace)

Harvard University Medical School’s study also suggested that untreated mental illness cost U.S. businesses $105 billion in lost productivity alone. A 2011 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that 45.6 million adults (18+) suffer from a form of mental illness, or 19.6% of all Americans. Of the 45.6 million, the DHS study estimated that 38.2 million received some treatment during the previous 12 months.

According to the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, investing in a mentally healthy workforce is good business. It can lead to:

  • Healthier employees
  • Lower total medical costs
  • Increased productivity
  • Less turnover and retention of valued employees
  • Lower absenteeism
  • Decreased disability costs

Investing in workplace mental health is a win-win for employers — and employees. Some quick tips the American Psychiatric Foundation about mental illness and substance abuse that employers should know include:

  • Mental illness in the workplaceAccording to the Surgeon General, 1 in 5 adults (20%) will experience a diagnosable mental illness in any given year.
  • Among those of working age, it is estimated that the prevalence of mental illness and/or substance abuse in any given year approaches 25%.
  • More workers are absent from work because of stress and anxiety than because of physical illness or injury.
  • Stress and depression probably explain "close to 30% of the total risk of heart attacks," according to a cardiovascular physician at the University of Florida.
  • In one large manufacturing corporation, depression accounted for at least as much medical and disability costs as hypertension, diabetes, back problems, and heart disease.Workplace mental health, office safety
  • Mental illness short-term disability claims are growing by 10% annually and can account for 30% or more of the corporate disability experience for the typical employer.
  • Less than one-third of adults with a diagnosable mental disorder receive treatment in any given year.
 

And remember is your company does not have a proper Employee Action Program (EAP), help is not far off. The internet is full of great information to help implement a program that works for you! Safety Training Services, Inc. is another great resource for you and your company. Remember to ‘Like’ us on Facebook or ‘Follow’ us on Twitter if you would like additional safety information, or contact us on our website to find out how the services and training courses we provide can help you.

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Tags: workplace mental health, mental issues in the workplace, employee mental health, mental illness in the workplace, mental health workplace, mental health in the workplace, mental health matters, office safety