Employee Wellbeing and Occupational Safety

The development of a safety culture in the workplace traditionally focuses on improving working conditions, modernizing equipment, and strictly enforcing rules. However, even in an ideal environment, accidents occur that are usually attributed to the notorious "human factor." In his presentation, Alexander Shtulman suggests looking deeper into this issue and considering the mental health and personal wellbeing of employees as the fundamental basis of occupational safety.

The Hidden Threat: Why Experienced Employees Make Mistakes

According to the Pareto principle applied to occupational safety, about 80% of violations and injuries are related to human actions rather than equipment failures. The speaker emphasizes that in most cases, the illogical actions of qualified specialists are caused by a loss of concentration. Mental health in the context of production is not the absence of mental illness, but peace of mind that allows an employee to fully focus on the task at hand.

About a third of employees face serious life difficulties every year: family conflicts, financial problems, hidden depression, or sleep disorders. These factors directly affect safety: a high level of stress increases the risk of an accident by 1.5 times, and the presence of unresolved personal problems by 3.6 times. A person immersed in their own worries is physically present at the workplace, but their attention is scattered, which inevitably leads to mistakes.

Presenteeism and the Cost of Unresolved Problems

The main difficulty lies in the fact that about 85% of people prefer to hide their personal problems from their employer, fearing a loss of status or dismissal. Managers only learn about their subordinates' difficulties when an incident occurs. The presentation details the phenomenon of presenteeism — a state where an employee comes to work sick or in a state of deep stress. This costs the business significantly more than direct absenteeism (absence from the workplace), as it leads to defects, equipment breakdowns, and severe injuries.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) as a Systemic Solution

To manage these non-obvious risks, leading companies implement Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). This is not just a social benefit, but a pragmatic business tool. The essence of the program is to provide employees with 24/7 confidential access to professional consultants — psychologists, lawyers, and financiers.

Alexander shows, using the example of implemented practices, how this mechanism works: an employee gets the opportunity to quickly and anonymously resolve a crisis situation before it leads to a breakdown at work. At the same time, line managers are relieved of the uncharacteristic function of "psychotherapists," and the company receives a measurable return on investment (ROI) by reducing injuries, cutting sick leave, and increasing overall labor productivity.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How unresolved family problems and financial stress increase the likelihood of a workplace injury by 3.6 times?
• Why traditional control methods are ineffective for detecting high-functioning depression and hidden addictions?
• What is the difference between absenteeism and presenteeism, and how do they destroy the enterprise's economy?
• How to organize a confidential employee assistance program to overcome the barrier of distrust towards corporate initiatives?
• How to justify the need for investments in mental health to top management through the lens of return on investment (ROI)?