10–20 percent of your employees may suffer from clinical depression… a treatable mental health condition that prevents the person from thinking as clearly, working as hard, concentrating as well or functioning as competently as he/she normally would.
The annual health and disability cost of people with depression was $5,415.00 per year in the year 2000. That figure does not include the costs of decreased productivity, sick days, training and retraining expenses of voluntary/involuntary terminations. Those depressed employees who also have a co-existing disease such as diabetes, heart disease, or back problems cost 1.7 times as much as those who have only the physical disease.
This widespread condition can have one of the most negative effects on a company’s bottom line. Depressed employees will:
- Be significantly less productive when trying to do their job
- Have higher stress levels
- Utilize a greater number of sick days and unplanned absences
- Have a greater utilization of all types of medical services
- Be injured more frequently on the job
- Have a higher rate of substance abuse in an effort to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs
- Have a greater incidence of burn out
Employers can take a pre-emptive step by being aware of the signs and symptoms of depression and offering resources to those employees who may be affected. For more information on how an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can benefit your company, contact our Director of Business Development.