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Meaningful Investment: Employee Assistance Program
The impact of mental illnesses on productivity in the workplace has recently been the subject of many studies. Each year, a total number of days measured in the millions are lost by employees between the ages of 18 and 54 due to their psychological conditions. The financial and moral damage of this is quite high. This is because these employees either cannot come to work at all, or even if they do, a disruption occurs in the area of "presenteeism"—that is, in active participation and productivity.
Depression is at the forefront of the mental illnesses that researchers focus on the most, as depression has been identified as the most common disorder in workplaces. It has been recorded that employees experiencing depressive symptoms cause four times more health-related productivity loss compared to other employees.
The personal factors that have the greatest impact on the state of "presenteeism" have not yet been clearly identified. However, research reveals certain characteristics that can lead to productivity loss. Among these, we can count factors such as the ability to focus, the quality of interpersonal communication, having to repeat the work done, working without using time efficiently, and low performance. Although managers noticing these conditions of their employees and providing training improves presenteeism, more permanent and effective solution methods are actually required to overcome the problem. Research revealing that the phenomenon of "workplace impairment"—which they measure through absenteeism, productivity, and interpersonal conflict factors—can be resolved with psychotherapy, also shows that it is characterized as a meaningful investment by both employees and employers.
References
Goetzel, R. Z., Long, S. R., Ozminkowski, R. J., Hawkins, K, Wang, S., & Lynch, W. (2004). Health, absence, disability, and presenteeism cost estimates of certain physical and mental health conditions affecting U. S. employers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(4), 393-412.
Hemp, P. (2004, October). Presenteeism: At work - but out of it. Harvard Business Review, 1-10.
Mintz, J., Mintz, L. I., Arruda, M. J., & Hwang, S. S. (1992). Treatments of depression and the functional capacity to work. Archives of General Psychiatry, 49(10) 761-768.
Stewart, W. F., Ricci, J. A., Chee, E., Hahn, S. R., & Morganstein, D. (2003). Cost of lost productive work time among US workers with depression. Journal of the American Medical Association, 289(23), 3135-3144.
11.05.2021