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Workforce Depression High Due to Pandemic
Mar 25, 2021
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Smokers Less Productive than Nonsmokers, Survey Finds
Oct 11, 2006
The survey found that smokers missed more days of work and experienced more unproductive time at work compared with nonsmokers and former smokers. The average annual cost for smokers' lost productivity was $4,430 per year, compared with $2,623 per year for nonsmokers and $3,246 for former smokers, according to the article.
"Employers may reduce the cost of absenteeism and presenteeism by implementing initiatives that reduce tobacco use in their population," the article asserts.
The article, titled "Effects of Smoking Status on Productivity Loss," focuses on just one aspect of employee smoking: the cost of lost productivity due to smokers' health-related absenteeism and presenteeism.
However, the article notes that smokers drive up employers' costs in other ways - such as medical costs associated with treating smoking-related health problems; lost productivity due to smoking breaks; an increase in fires and fire insurance costs; and early retirement due to smoking-related health problems.
The article's authors - led by William Bunn III, M.D., JD, MPH, a professor of preventative medicine at the Northwestern School of Medicine - conclude that the results of this study show that smoking cessation programs "may benefit a variety of employer types."
"For example, companies that do not provide health benefits could incur cost savings from the increased productivity of employees even if they do not realize the benefits of lowered direct medical costs," the authors wrote. " … A better understanding of the complete cost of cigarette smoking, including both the direct and indirect costs, will help insurers and employers make decisions about the value of smoking cessation programs."
Survey: Smokers More Likely to Struggle with Depression, Anxiety, Asthma
To obtain the data for this survey, researchers used the Wellness Inventory, which is a tool that measures lost productivity related to 11 common health conditions. The Wellness Inventory is able to measure days away from work (absenteeism) and unproductive time at work (presenteeism) due to health conditions.
Employee volunteers at 147 companies completed the Wellness Inventory, providing information on sex, age, smoking status, perceived health status, occupational classification and hours worked per week. The employee volunteers also were asked to specify the number of days during the year that they experienced any of the 11 health conditions; the number of days away from work due to these conditions; and the typical number of hours they were unproductive at work on the days they experienced those conditions.
The volunteers were classified as nonsmokers, current smokers or former smokers, based on this question: "Which cigarette smoking pattern best describes your behavior - never smoked, former smoker or current smoker?"
During the study period - from 2001 to 2005 - 45,630 people completed the Wellness Inventory, although 10,696 records were thrown out due to missing data or because the responders were less than 16 years old.
Among the survey results, researched found that:
- Nonsmokers were nearly twice as likely to report a better health status compared with current smokers.
- Both male and female nonsmokers and former smokers with anxiety disorders missed significantly fewer days of work compared with current smokers.
- Fewer nonsmokers experienced asthma compared with former and current smokers.
- Nonsmokers were less likely to report depression than former and current smokers.
- The highest percentage of current smokers was reported in customer service and production, construction, operating, maintenance occupations and material handling occupations.
While the survey was designed to including respondents that represent a variety of organizations, it found that for all occupations, current smokers missed more days of work due to health conditions than did former smokers and nonsmokers.
Former Smokers' Results More Similar to Nonsmokers
Noting that the U.S. surgeon general has said that quitting smoking provides "significant and immediate health benefits," the article's authors point out that their data shows that former smokers are more similar to nonsmokers than they are to current smokers when it comes to health-related productivity losses from absenteeism and presenteeism.
Even though former smokers were, on average, older than both nonsmokers and current smokers in the survey, "the average annual cost of health-related productivity losses was lower for former smokers than current smokers," the authors conclude.
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Workforce Depression High Due to Pandemic
Mar 25, 2021
Depression, which has been recognized as a prevalent condition, has become more pervasive due to the pandemic. A Gartner, Inc. survey of more than 5,000 employees conducted in the fourth quarter of 2020 found that more than one-quarter of the workforce (29%) described itself as depressed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employers are responding and offer programs that employees are utilizing. According to the survey, 49% of employees who reported their organization offers a mental well-being program participated in it in 2020.
“The need for well-being support has skyrocketed since the pandemic struck, giving organizations a new mandate to offer more and better programs,” said Carolina Valencia, vice president in the Gartner HR practice in a statement. “Organizations, more than ever, must respond to all facets of the individual, from the physical to the emotional, and address some of the new stressors that have emerged over the past year.”
When evaluating their organization’s well-being initiatives, Garners offers these points for consideration:
Commit to Help Employees Cope with Stress Factors, Even Post-Pandemic
In response to the challenges brought on by the pandemic, most organizations took emergency measures to support their staff. Gartner's research found 87% of businesses provided flexible work hours to employees acting as caregivers for family members. Additionally, 26% gave employees paid time off (PTO) for childcare and 21% gave PTO for eldercare.
Additionally, a Gartner survey of 50 HR leaders revealed 64% of companies provided a new well-being offering to support their staff, while 34% of companies expanded access to their existing offerings.
Yet, only one-quarter of organizations report that they plan to maintain the programs introduced during the pandemic for the foreseeable future. Leaders should consider sustaining programs beyond the pandemic due to the financial difficulties and lingering stress that will persist even after the outbreak subsides.
Personalize Support to Meet Diverse Employee Needs
To address the varying needs of employees, organizations must ensure there is alignment between the support they offer and the demand from employees. However, according to Gartner research, less than half of employees (46%) feel that their organization’s well-being programs are personalized. To mitigate this, organizations can take specific steps to achieve alignment between support and demand – such as offering more choices. Currently, only 19% of employees working for organizations with mental well-being programs report having access to five or more offerings.
In addition, leaders should give employees tools to navigate challenging moments on their own at the right moment. One tactic successful organizations are utilizing is encouraging employees to self-assess their well-being. Doing so facilitates employees to easily benchmark themselves, map out a development plan to enhance their well-being and hold themselves accountable for their wellness. More importantly, it encourages employees to seek out offerings the organization already provides.
Establish Programs, Processes and Guidance to Enable Discussions
While the COVID-19 pandemic was an anomaly, disruptions are increasingly common. Organizations must be equipped to support the well-being of employees.
Leaders need to establish programs, processes and guidance in advance of whatever unexpected event comes next. These efforts should empower–but not force–employees to discuss subjects they may otherwise be nervous to bring up, including mental health challenges, resolving tension between employees and emotional health issues.
Gartner's research reveals only about half of employees (49%) agree their manager understands their problems and needs. To address this, leaders can provide easy-to-understand information that defines the level of involvement managers are expected to have when supporting their employees with mental and emotional health issues.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear to employers and employees that work and life cannot be treated as two separate constructs,” Valencia said. “If employers help support employees with all aspects of their health during turbulent times more effectively, not only do they have better lives, but they perform at a higher level. In fact, organizations that provide holistic well-being support can boost employee discretionary effort by 21%, twice as much as companies that provide only traditional (physical and financial) programs.”
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