Although we’ve historically been, and arguably still are, the “lucky country” it could easily be argued that we’re not the “healthy country”.
Recent research commissioned by Medibank Private has found a measurable link between a person's health and lifestyle and how productive they are at work. Although all the details of the study are too lengthy to repeat fully here a brief summary of some of the key findings is worth listing as they are illuminating (albeit somewhat concerning).
- More than half of the Australian workforce is stressed - 53% of those surveyed reported feeling over-whelmed with stress and pressure a significant proportion of the time
- More than half of the Australian workforce is not getting enough sleep - 56% of those surveyed get less than 7 hours sleep each night with 22% reporting feeling un-refreshed or exhausted during work
- More than 1 in 5 of those surveyed reported some form of psychological distress (with 12% noting depression and another 10% describing anxiety)
- Unhealthy workers took an average of 18 days sick leave compared to 2 days for healthy workers
- Unhealthy and stressed workers rated their performance as being 3.7 out of 10 compared to 8.5 for healthy workers
- Unhealthy employees worked an average of 49 effective hours per month compared to 143 effective hours for healthy employees
Clearly, a significant number of employees in this country are not as healthy as they could be and as a result, not nearly as productive as they could be. This is a large and costly problem.
It’s also a problem that won’t go away. Many employers and organisations seem to be scared to acknowledge the presence of psychological issues in the workforce concerned that they might open a “Pandora’s box” of complications and possibly compensations. But denial does not eliminate problems and there’s no doubt that stress and depression, if left untreated, will continue to grow and consequentially, the associated costs will continue to increase.
The cost to employers can include, for example, all or part of all expenses related to recruitment, retention, retraining, inefficiencies, repairs and more. In some organisations, these costs can be enormous.
But the good news is that these issues can all be addressed and that positive workplace programs, if and when implemented appropriately, can provide enormous benefits.
The most obvious gain is to have a workforce that’s less distressed and therefore, more positive. Slightly less obvious, but just as significant are gains that include:
- Improved engagement
- Reduced turnover
- Lower rates of absenteeism
- Better team work
- Staff who interact more positively with clients and customers
Happy employees are undoubtedly better employees; and in addition, one can easily find a strong economic argument for the utilisation of positive workplace programs as related research over the past few decades indicates that for every dollar spent on health promotion programs, organisations realise a return on investment of somewhere between $3.00 and $5.00!
How then, do we solve this substantial workplace health problem?
Quite simply, by directly addressing the causes(s) of the problem – and thankfully we know a lot about the primary causes of stress and depression (causes that are also directly related to “lifestyle” health problems such as insomnia, obesity, diabetes and chronic back and neck pain).
Decades of psychological research have lead to the development of powerful and effective interventions for stress related disorders. In simple terms we can:
- Avoid the problem
- Eliminate or change the problem
- Change the way we cope with the problem
Avoiding the problem can obviously be effective but the reality is it’s just not always possible. Similarly, eliminating the problem is not always a feasible option in the long term although if something is continually and regularly triggering stress, modifying it in some way should certainly be considered. At a very practical level this might involve focusing on time and/or priority management; enhancing employee’s sense of control over their jobs; increasing access to resources; and training managers to use more effective communication and delegation skills.
More often than not, however, most of us need to be realistic and acknowledge we will always be faced with stressors and as such, the most frequently recommended strategies include modifying our reactions to these stressors (and ideally, developing more constructive and helpful strategies).
Modifying our reactions most often involves utilising applied relaxation or meditation strategies and/or changing the way we think about stressful situations.
There’s no doubt that the factors most closely related to stress and depression are cognitions (including thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and expectations). There’s also no doubt that with training, most people can learn to become more aware of, and then change their thoughts and thinking patterns.
The benefits of doing so are considerable as individuals who can learn to think more optimistically (that is, positively and realistically) are healthier, happier and more successful (at home and at work).
Other powerful tools to have come out of the positive psychology field include helping employees (at all levels but particularly managers) to become more aware of and to better utilise their strengths; clarifying individual and team goals; improving focusing and attentional skills; instruction in “pacing” (which involves learning both to switch on and off); and remembering to be more appreciative.
So improving the health of the Australian workforce is not just an important issue to address, it's essential as it will save money and improve the performance and productivity of many organisations. By combining results derived from the exciting new science of positive psychology, with lessons learned from coaching, consulting and training, the average employee can be helped to become healthier and happier, which translates to a more engaged and more effective workforce (not to mention a more profitable organisation).