How Does Employee Mental Health Impact Productivity?

Posted on: December 1st, 2021 by

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a renewed emphasis on employee health and wellbeing. While much of this focus has centered on physical health, an increasing number of employers have begun to recognize the ways in which employee mental health can negatively impact their business.
Taking steps to improve the mental health of your employees is an important way to demonstrate that you truly care about your team members. However, it is also a smart business move that will improve your overall success and profitability:

Ways Poor Mental Health Can Negatively Impact Performance and Productivity

When employees struggle with mental health issues, it can prevent your business from functioning at peak levels of performance. This can manifest in several ways.

Higher Employee Turnover Rates

There are many factors that can potentially cause an individual’s work life to have a damaging effect on their mental health:

When several of these elements are present at once, it can potentially have a compounding effect on an employee’s mental health, exacerbating existing issues and triggering new ones. This can lead your workers to decide that a change of scenery is necessary to improve their mental health, leading to higher employee turnover rates.
High employee turnover rates can have a devastating impact on the performance of your business. Not only will productivity drop due to being short staffed, but the productivity of your remaining employees will also decline since they’ll be spread thin in an attempt to cover the responsibilities of team members who have left.

Increased Employee Absenteeism

Employees struggling with mental health issues tend to have a higher risk of missing work. These days of missed work will cause your productivity to drop. This will also impact other workers who are forced to pick up the slack for the individuals who are calling out on a regular basis.

Poor Physical Wellbeing

There is a strong correlation between mental and physical health. Individuals struggling with mental health issues tend to experience a deterioration in their physical health. There are several reasons for this:

Employees who are in poor physical health are more likely to miss time at work to deal with their physical ailments, and this will negatively impact productivity.

Performance Limitations Associated with Poor Mental Health

In addition, employees struggling with mental health issues often experience a variety of performance limitations which may impact their overall productivity. These may include:

Common Work Conditions Which May Negatively Impact Employee Mental Health

Work environments often contain a variety of risk factors which can negatively impact employee mental health. Some of the most common conditions which may give rise to mental health struggles include:

7 Tips to Improve Employee Mental Health

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to improve the mental health of your employees:

Premier Employer Services Can Help You Implement Policies to Improve Employee Mental Health

Establishing a work environment that promotes employee mental health is crucial to the success of your business. If you’ve struggled with how to implement policies that will improve the mental health of your team, Premier Employer Services can help. We offer comprehensive HR consulting and employee engagement services that will help set your business up for long term success.
Our exclusive Employee Engagement Plus Approach™ has been designed with your unique needs in mind. We listen carefully to understand your company’s specific challenges and organizational goals. We’ll also take the time to learn about your current workforce dynamic. Our team will use this information to create a customized program that will promote improved employee mental health at your company.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

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