Mental well-being and the economy

 

According to the Well-Being Index, workers believe their work environment plays a very important role in their overall well-being. Among the nearly 46,000 full-time workers surveyed to date nearly two-thirds are obese or overweight (25 percent obese, 40 percent overweight), two-thirds report one or more chronic diseases or recurring conditions. More than 20 perfect report they are not able to perform their usual activities on one or more days last month due to illness and these workers reported being out sick an average of six days in the last 30. This is a very important trend in business today as it clearly confirms that illness and negative work environment have significant impact on productivity.

Management is busy worrying about keeping the numbers up and struggling to survive, but often times forgetting that the individuals that are expected to pick up the slack from many people that have been laid off are the same individuals that have taken the pay cuts. They also happen to be the ones working very hard to stay afloat with their added duties and decreased appreciation and motivation. This does not make for a healthy work environment, nor does it benefit management due to the enormous potential of burned out workers and immense loss in productivity.

As an employee suffering from an environment of this sort at work, it is imperative that one finds way to relax and enjoy their time off. Findings from the Gallup-Healthways Happiness-Stress Index outline the importance of spending time with friends and family in helping to determine the daily emotional well-being of Americans. It is especially important for full-time workers to have social time to encourage feelings of happiness and enjoyment. Consistent with results for the general population, those who do not work say they experience the most happiness when they spend six to seven hours of time with family and friends. In contrast, full-time workers, as a group, experience the most happiness when they spend more than seven hours of time with family and friends, with the happiness-stress ratio peaking at 17-to-1 for those workers who have eight to nine hours of social time on any given day. On weekdays, workers and non-workers alike have a happiness-stress ratio of about 4-to-1. On weekends, however, the happiness-stress ratio for workers increases 10-to-1, but the ratio only increases to 5-to-1 for non-workers.

As a worker, remember to take the time to relax, spend time with family and make time for your mental and emotional well-being. As a manager, remember the importance of appreciating your employees and how little things can help to relieve stress, such as team building or morale events, and contribute to a more productive work environment.