Many employees in Asia are at risk of developing mental health conditions that, if left untreated, will cost organisations financially and negatively impact workplace productivity.
According to the inaugural Aon TELUS Health Asia Mental Health Index report, 82% of employees in Asia are at high (35%) to moderate (47%) risk of mental health problems. Stress, anxiety and burnout were identified as key drivers of reduced productivity, with 45% of respondents reporting that their mental health was negatively impacting their work.
Compared to last year, more than 51% of employees feel more susceptible to stress this year, 33% find it difficult to concentrate on their work and 47% end their working day feeling mentally and/or physically exhausted.
Cost, lack of information and the stigma attached to mental health problems are some of the barriers preventing mental health issues from being addressed. More than half of respondents (54%) also believe that their career opportunities would stall if their employer found out about their mental health problems.
Urging organisations to address these fears and put support structures in place, Tim Dwyer, Chief Executive Officer, Health Solutions, Asia Pacific, Aon, said: “Supporting the wellbeing of employees is necessary for organisations to maintain high levels of engagement and productivity to deliver a measurable return on investment. Organisations must therefore address these [mental health] issues head on, while developing an integrated strategy that is informed by data and insight.”
