Employee Mental Health and Its Impact on Labor Productivity

Traditionally, occupational safety issues are reduced to equipment control and compliance with instructions. However, statistics show that a significant portion of incidents occurs due to employees experiencing hidden stress. During the webinar, Alexander Shtulman, CEO of Corporate Health, discusses how the mental and behavioral well-being of personnel directly affects business financial performance and the level of occupational injuries.

Hidden Losses: Presenteeism and Decreased Productivity

According to the WHO, about 27% of workers annually face life difficulties that critically reduce their ability to function normally. The speaker notes that an employee experiencing a personal crisis loses over 60 hours of productive time per month. The main problem becomes presenteeism — a state where a person is physically present at the workplace but cannot concentrate on tasks. It is at such moments that experienced specialists make atypical mistakes, ignoring basic safety rules.

The Impact of Stress on Occupational Injuries

The presentation details the correlation between an employee's internal state and the risks of accidents. For employees with medium and high stress levels, the probability of getting injured increases by one and a half times, and in the presence of serious life problems — by more than three and a half times. Lack of sleep and hidden alcohol abuse (even during non-working hours) lead to unpredictable behavior and erroneous decisions in critical situations.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as a Business Tool

Alexander Shtulman shows, using international and Russian practices as examples, that a chaotic set of benefits does not solve the problem systematically. An effective tool is a structured Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Its key differences are strict confidentiality, a limited number of sessions for the quick resolution of a specific problem, and performance evaluation based on the number of resolved clinical cases. Implementing this approach saves up to 54 hours of productive time per request, ensuring a return on investment.

Adaptation of Employees Returning from Combat Zones

Special attention is paid to the integration of veterans into the workflow. The main principle voiced by the speaker is treating them as equal team members. Excessive heroization in the workplace only complicates their return to normal life. The resolution of complex psychological problems should be delegated to specialized professionals within the EAP, rather than falling on the shoulders of line managers.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to calculate the company's hidden financial losses due to employees' personal problems?
• Why standard motivation methods and disciplinary measures do not work with hidden stress?
• By what criteria can a real Employee Assistance Program (EAP) be distinguished from an ineffective set of corporate benefits?
• How to properly build communication and workflow with employees returning from the Special Military Operation (SMO) zone?
• How to justify to management the need for investments in personnel mental health using business metrics?