The cost of high productivity

The cost of high productivity

A publication called Manufacturing.net reports that Japanese workers filing work comp claims due to mental illness caused by being overworked spiked 22% last year.

New standards for certifying mental illness due to work-related issues may also be a factor, according to the story available here.

But according to the San Francisco-based Integrated Benefits Institute, research from Japan has shown that “there is a significant health and productivity difference between ‘workaholism’ and (healthy) employee engagement.”

That is important to keep in mind. As the IBI said, “in tough economic times, many employers may expect workers to put in a 60-hour work week month after month without significant business repercussions.”

But poorer employee health and reduced job performance are a potential outcome. Are increased comp claims also a potential?

The San Diego- based Disability Management Employer Coalition last year published a paper titled “Extreme Productivity: Are Your Employees Hitting the Wall?”

Several large employers, disability insurers, and mental health experts contributed to the DMEC paper. It discusses ways employers can help their employees rather than allow them to burn out due to long work weeks and high productivity demands.