Up until last week, although compelling evidence was already available, I had to agree that “more research is needed” before we can be fully confident that wellness in the workplace pays off as much in numerical terms as it does in human terms.
But not anymore. The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Conference held in Washington, DC last weekend gave everyone concrete and reliable evidence to make the topic a priority.
The greater focus, persistence, proactivity, enthusiasm and adaptability of the engaged employees leads to significant financial consequences. A 2005 study of 96 companies showed that firms whose score was in the top 25% for engagement enjoyed returns on assets (ROA) 12% higher and profitability 11% higher than firms that scored in the bottom 25% on engagement.
Employees in healthy workplaces miss on average 1.8 fewer days of work each year. If you have 100 employees, 1.8 fewer sick days per employee translates to 180 extra workdays per year, or the equivalent of 36 weeks of work! Few investments will ever give you that kind of return!
