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Improving Employee Productivity
and Attendance with Psychological Services
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How does an employer account for the increase in sick days used by some employees?
Why have certain departments declined in productivity? If your organization is experiencing
any of these situations, chances are that the following are diminishing the productivity
of your organization's work force:
Depression
Stress
Anxiety
Chemical Dependency
When behavioral conditions afflict one of your employees or their families, the
organization also is adversely affected because it must either divert resources
from another area to compensate for decreased productivity or face the adverse consequences
of ignoring the problem. |
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There Are No Exceptions to the Problem
Every employer is at risk of incurring costs, direct and indirect, of impaired functioning
of some of its work force. From the administrative assistant, to the foreman, to
the CEO, behavioral health disorders can significantly limit the abilities of an
employee in need of treatment.
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Besides the Emotional Drain, Behavioral Disorders are a Financial Drain
- The direct costs for treating mental health disorders in 1990 totaled $67 billion.
(Open Minds, January, 1995.)
- Depression cost $43.7 billion in 1990, comprising treatment costs of $12.4 billion,
absenteeism and lost productivity cost of $23.8 billion, and $7.5 billion for related
deaths. (Greenberg, R, Stiglin, L., Finklestein, S., & Berndt, E., November,
1993. " The Economic Burden of Depression in 1990," The Journal of Clinical
Psychiatry, 54,405-418.)
- Substance abuse treatment cost $11.5 billion in 1990. (Open Minds, November,
1994.)
- Stress-related claims accounted for an average health cost of $11,400 in 1985 and
an average disability cost of $73,270 in 1993. (Open Minds, October 1994;
Northwestern National Life Insurance Company, 1993.)
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Fortunately, There are Solutions
The solutions are psychological services. By promoting the use of scientifically
proven and clinically-valid behavioral health care interventions through an employee
assistance program (EAP) and employee health benefits, employers can make qualified
health care professionals available to their employees needing assistance. Many
major U.S. employers have decreased their health care costs by revising their mental
health benefit strategies to promote awareness, screening and treatment of mental
health problems.
- One major bank saved 30 percent of the mental health benefits costs by screening
for and treating depression. (Thonburg, L., May, 199 1. Prevention, "Mental
Health Treatments Reduce Costs." Society for Human Resources Management.)
- Employee Assistance Programs and stress reduction training can reduce the risk of
stress related health claims and help rehabilitate employees at a cost of $1,925.
(Northwestern National Life Insurance Company, Employee Burnout.)
- Every $1 invested in substance abuse treatment saved $7 of health care, disability,
productivity costs and crime-related costs based on a study conducted by the California
Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. (Stolberg, S., August 24, 1994. "Drug
Treatment Saves $1.5 Billion," The Los Angeles Times.)
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Psychologists Can Help
A licensed psychologist has the most extensive and relevant training among all medical
and behavioral health care providers for diagnosing and treating behavioral health
problems. As the anchor for the delivery of psychotherapeutic treatment, psychologists
can help ensure employers and their employees of providing the most appropriate
professional services for clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment of symptoms
and the underlying problem of employees needing assistance.
The information contained in this article is part of the American Psychological
Association's "Talk to Someone Who Can Help" public education campaign.
Copyright � 1998, American Psychological Association, All Rights Reserved.
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