Study Advocates New Approach Toward Workplace Mental Health
Authors: Carpenter Chris 
Published: July 2019

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 192949, “Mental Health in the Workplace: Leading Global Health Risk,” by Anna Feringa, Independent Consultant, prepared for the 2018 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 12–15 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Employers have an obligation to provide and maintain workplace safety, including managing workplace mental health. To that end, employers should implement preventive measures to optimize the fit between individual workers and their psychosocial, organizational, and physical working environment. This study incorporates previous learnings, as well as globally collected data, to develop a strategy that can be used to help implement an industry-specific mental health•program.

Background

One in four people worldwide will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Approximately 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing these disorders among the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide.

Amidst a background of necessary organizational change, evolving technology, and complex personnel needs, the workplace is emerging as a central risk to the ongoing mental health of workers across the globe. A workplace also can be an inadvertent risk to aggravate pre-existing issues. The increasing interdependence of work and health presents both an increased risk and a potential opportunity for workplaces to be better prepared to meet the needs of workers in most industrialized societies.

Associated Costs

Emerging evidence indicates that employers that prioritize mental health programs in the workplace experience an increase in individual and organizational performance. Failure to do so can incur significant direct and indirect costs.

Direct costs associated with poor mental health management within an organization can include

Absenteeism

Turnover

Health care and workers’ compensation claims

Indirect costs can include

Presenteeism (workers are present but are not working to full capacity)

Lower employee engagement

Increased interpersonal conflict or complaints

While most employers notice absenteeism, they often overlook presenteeism. Despite the difficulty of obtaining an accurate measure of presenteeism, a study measuring health-related productivity estimated that individuals working with untreated illnesses cost employers $1,601 per person annually. A study of an employee assistance program demonstrated that 20% of lost productivity costs are the•result of absenteeism, but up to 80% are associated with presenteeism.•

Employee Engagement

Worldwide, employee engagement levels tend to be lower in industries characterized by more-routinized jobs, such as manufacturing and production. The conventional management approach in these industries often puts process ahead of people, as opposed to an employee-centered focus that promotes improved business performance. Gallup data collected during 2014–2016 across 155 countries indicate that only 15% of employees worldwide are classified as engaged in their job. Two-thirds are not engaged, and 18% are actively disengaged.