Employee stress has reached crisis levels over the last few years, but much of the burden the workforce is carrying may be going unnoticed and unaddressed by the organization until it shows up in business outcomes.
New research from global mental health company Spring Health, based on a survey of more than 2,000 HR leaders and employees around the world found that about 30% of employees are experiencing “silent burnout,” giving the appearance that “everything is fine” at work but struggling with exhaustion and driving up rates of presenteeism and absenteeism.
A significant proof point is in the study’s findings on mental health leaves of absence. More than 60% of HR professionals surveyed said they have seen an increase in such leaves over the last year; about 16% of them said leaves spiked by more than 25%. Only about 14% reported that mental health leaves have slowed down.
The report highlights the disruptive nature of an uptick in leaves, with organizations incurring significant costs and productivity lags from either backfilling roles, or dispersing or deferring the work.
Karishma Patel Buford, chief people officer at Spring Health, says burnout-driven mental health leaves reflect the influence of both macro and micro stressors.
Global geopolitical conflict, soaring financial pressures and evolving individual responsibilities for workers, including caregiving, are “stacking up and pushing employees toward a breaking point,” she says.
Financial stress is a particularly impactful stressor, and one that demands more employer-led mental health efforts. For instance, a majority of employees report an increase in financial stress in the last few years, which is more than 50% more common among those without adequate support for their mental health.
The business case for a more comprehensive and proactive investment in holistic employee health is clear, Buford says. Other recent Spring Health research found a 1.9x ROI of employer-sponsored behavioral health benefits.
“More specifically,” she says, “it showed that overall health plan costs actually decreased by $190 for every $100 invested in mental health benefits for employees.”
Beyond such direct savings, mental health improvements also are connected to better talent outcomes like higher productivity, retention and organizational performance, she says.
Getting proactive about burnout
Spiking leave, researchers add, is a “late-stage indicator of strain,” which HR needs to confront with a more proactive mental health strategy.
Pursuing such gains will require a mindset shift that HR can help leaders embrace: companies shouldn’t just be reacting to the moments in which employees need support, but rather preparing realistically for them.
While it’s critical to have “clear plans” in place for when leaves do occur, HR should also lean into awareness-raising efforts to ensure employees have an understanding of their benefits offerings and how to use them.
Managers are critical to a more proactive strategy, Buford says. They can set a tone that reduces stigma around mental health and focus on strengthening their relationships with direct reports, which, Buford says can help surface “early warning signs and better prepare both the individual and the organization.”
Credit: Source link
