Businesses must do their part to support employees' mental and physical health. (GETTY STOCK)
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The workforce is facing a well-being crisis. Absences due to illness have seen some all-time highs recently, due in part to continued health effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Increasingly, mental health problems are hurting businesses and entire economies. The World Health Organization says 12 billion working days are lost to depression and anxiety each year – or $1 trillion in lost productivity. In the United States, mental health problems are estimated to cost $47.5 billion in lost productivity due to unplanned absences alone.
Government actions are part of the answer to improving wellness, and policymakers must do more to support mental and physical health. But more than ever, it’s also up to businesses to do their part. The research is clear: The greater the overall state of well-being in the workforce, the more successful businesses are. When people are thriving, they're more productive, collaborative, innovative, engaged and satisfied.
There's also another reason that today’s businesses need to help employees improve their wellness: Workers expect it. Many will only work at organizations that make employee well-being a real priority.
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