Why mental health in the workplace matters

Many people face mental health problems during their prime working years:

• Depression will rank second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability worldwide by the year 2020¹
• Disability represents anywhere from 4% to 12% of payroll costs in Canada; mental health claims (especially depression) have overtaken cardiovascular disease as the fastest growing category of disability costs in Canada²
• In Great Britain, stress-related sickness absences from work cost an estimated ₤4 Billion annually³
• Stress, burnout and physical or mental health issues are the main issues limiting productivity in Canada, Canadian CEOs say.⁴

The Canadian economy loses billions to mental health problems:

• In 1998, Health Canada conservatively estimated that the economic burden of mental health problems was $14.4 billion a year. More recent calculations, which include indirect costs, suggest that upwards of $30 billion is lost to the Canadian economy annually due to mental health and addiction problems⁵

High stress levels and mental health problems can cause other health conditions:

• For example, excessive stress has been linked to infectious disease and cardiovascular problems, higher incidence of back pain, repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), colorectal cancer⁶
• Stress on the job can double the risk of heart attack⁷
• Employees at three major American companies who displayed chronic symptoms of depression were twice as likely to miss work due to health reasons, and seven times as likely to report missed workdays at the time of the follow-up survey⁸

Early identification and treatment can be important to successful recovery:

• When a person experiences a mental health problem and they obtain treatment in the first few months of their illness, early recovery is more likely; early detection and treatment also reduce the likelihood that the mental health problem will become chronic⁹
• When short-term disability becomes long-term, there is a lesser chance that the person will be able to return to previous levels of proficiency⁹

Stigma and discrimination can discourage people from seeking help:

• In response to societal stigma and negative stereotypes about mental illness, people often conceal symptoms and fail to seek treatment¹⁰

Accommodating mental health problems at work makes good business sense:

• The costs for providing accommodations are fairly low; most cost well under $500¹¹
• For those who get access to treatment, the employer could save between $5000 to $10,000 per employee per year in the cost of prescription drugs, sick leave, and average wage replacement¹²
• Employees who are diagnosed with depression and take appropriate medication will save their employer an average 11 days a year in prevented absenteeism¹³

Promoting mental health benefits workers and organizations:

• In the United States, psychiatric hospital admissions of Chrysler employees actually went down 12 percent one year over another, and their length of stay in mental hospitals dropped 22 percent, due to that company’s efforts to achieve higher rates of earlier detection through better psychiatric health benefit programs and greater success in matching diagnosis and treatment methods¹⁴
• 57% of graduating business students around the world rate maintaining a balance between work and personal life as their primary career goal and a key to choosing their first employer. Most believe a career and personal goals can be developed in tandem, and say a working schedule that allows them to see family and friends on a predictable basis is key to work-life balance¹⁵
• Husky Injection Molding Systems of Bolton, Ontario estimates it has saved $8 million in reduced absenteeism, higher productivity, and better use of resources, from a $4 million investment in employee well-being and a healthy workplace environment. With programs such as an on-site parent resource centre and extended benefits:
  • Absenteeism rates in 1999 were 2.25 days per Husky employee per year, compared to the Canadian average of 5.7 days per year
  • Annual per employee drug costs for Husky’s workforce were $153 in 1997, compared to a $495 average for similar businesses¹⁶

Notes

1. Cambridge, M.A., Murray, C.J.L., & Lopez, A.D. (Eds.) (1996). The global burden of disease: A comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. Published by the Harvard School of Public Health on behalf of the World Health Organization and the World Bank, Harvard University Press. Retrieved January 20, 2003 from http://www.who.int/msa/mnh/ems/dalys/intro.htm. Updated link retrieved April 12, 2005: http://www.who.int/evidence/bod/
2. Wilson, M., Joffe, R., & Wilkerson, B. (2002). The unheralded business crisis in Canada: Depression at work. An information paper for business, incorporating 12 steps to a business plan to defeat depression. Toronto: Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, p. 4, 18. Retrieved January 20, 2003 from http://www.mentalhealthroundtable.ca/aug_round_pdfs/ Roundtable%20report_Jul20.pdf
3. Gray, P. (2000). Mental health in the workplace: Tackling the effects of stress. London: Mental Health Foundation. Retrieved January 20, 2003 from http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/page.cfm?pagecode=PBBFMW
4. Productivity Through Health: A FGIworld CEO Study on Health and Productivity in Canadian Industry. (2005). FGIworld. Retrieved September 9, 2005, from www.fgiworld.com
5. Scientific Advisory Committee to the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health. (2002). Mental health and substance use at work: Perspectives from research and implications for leaders. Unpublished paper.
   
   Stephens, T., & Joubert, N. (2001). The economic burden of mental health problems in Canada. Chronic Diseases in Canada 22(1). Updated link retrieved August 16, 2005 from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/cdic-mcc/22-1/d_e.html
6. Health Canada. (2001). Best advice on stress risk management in the workplace. Retrieved January 20, 2003 from
   http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca
   /hppb/ahi/workplace/pdf/stress_risk_management_1.pdf and http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca
   /hppb/ahi/workplace/pdf/stress_risk_management_2.pdf
7. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. (2000, February 2). Report cards on health: Stress threatening Canadians' health, Heart and Stroke Foundation warns. Retrieved January 31, 2003 from http://ww1.heartandstroke.ca/Page.asp?PageID=33&ArticleID=1074
8. Druss, B.G., Schlesinger, M., & Allen, H. (2001, May). Depressive symptoms, satisfaction with health care, and 2-year work outcomes in an employed population. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 731-734.
9. Wilson et al., 5, 16.
10. Sussman, L.K., Robins, L.N., & Earls, F. (1987). Treatment-seeking for depression by black and white Americans. Social Science and Medicine, 24, 187-196.
11. Office of Disability Employment Policy, US Department of Labor. Work-site accommodation ideas for people with psychiatric disabilities. Job Accommodation Network. Retrieved January 20, 2003 from http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/Psychiatric.html
12. Wilson et al., 19.
13. Wilson et al., 17.
14. Wilson et al., 22.
15. PriceWaterhouseCoopers. (1999, May). 1999 international student survey. Retrieved January 21, 2003 from
    http://www.pwcglobal.com/extweb/ncsurvres.nsf/ DocID/A8361F3AF401BD2C85256784004433D0
16. Human Resources Development Canada. (2001, July). Husky Injection Molding Systems. Work-life balance in Canadian workplaces: Experience and lessons learned. Retrieved January 21, 2003 from http://labour-travail.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/worklife/husky-en.cfm