Promoting Employee Health

While not uncommon before the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues have increased due to isolation, economic issues, and social upheaval, according to organizations like the National Institute of Mental Health.

This is bad news for employers. When employees bring these problems to the workplace, lost workdays can mean lost productivity. The National Safety Council’s cost calculator estimates that a manufacturing company in New Jersey with 250 employees could lose $284,504 annually because of missed workdays due to mental distress and illness.

Employers have options. For every $1 invested in the treatment and support of mental health disorders, an employer can see a return of $4 in improved health and productivity, according to estimates by The World Health Organization.

To promote employee mental health, employers can:

• Educate employees on the value of good mental health
• Offer employees telehealth access to providers through a laptop or cell phone.
• Train managers to support employees in understanding mental well-being
• Provide access to an employee assistance program (EAP) for referrals to mental health professionals.

To calculate what the costs of lost productivity to your workplace from mental health issues might be, visit www.nsc.org/mentalhealthatwork.

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