UPFRONT When health = wealth

Creating workplace that doesn’t take its toll on the mental health of employees is more than just legal requirement – it also makes good business sense.
That was the message from one-day health forum held recently in Christchurch and Auckland by the workplace and mental health division of the Mental Health Foundation – Working Well. The cost of stress is major rationale for taking the issue seriously, according to visiting speaker David Brown, an Australian workplace psychologist, ergonomist and author.
He cites major overseas studies that have found stress attributes to lost productivity, absenteeism, sick leave, heart disease and premature death. One study has put its cost to Australia at A$13 billion year. Other speakers provided an overview of employer obligation in relation to staff suffering from stress or fatigue, highlighted the importance of helping build employee “resilience” to burnout and outlined the business case for work/life balance.