The Cost of Depression on the Job: $23 Billion

Depression is the common cold of emotional problems. And, it is costly. Burn Out is a part of many with depression.

By Rachel Feintzeig

Depression hurts millions of American workers each year – and their employers feel the effects, too. Workers who have been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives miss a collective 68 million extra days of work annually, as compared to their non-depressed peers, according to new findings from Gallup. That adds up to $23 billion in lost productivity.

The accumulated toll of the disease is “tossing a lot of sand into the gears of the U.S. economy,” said Dan Witters, the research director for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

For part-time workers, the statistics are even more bleak: 16.6% report having been diagnosed with depression, and they miss an average of 13.7 work days per year. That’s compared to 8.7 work days for part-time workers with no history of depression.

Americans with Disabilities Act requires companies make “reasonable accommodation” for employees with disabilities. For someone with a diagnosed mental illness, that may include anything from flexible work hours to weekly therapy sessions.

Witters sees a variety of ways for organizations to improve workers’ mental health and recoup valuable lost dollars. Employee assistance programs, which allow workers to reach out to counselors, help, as does training managers to recognize depression symptoms. But many powerful initiatives “don’t require massive financial investment,” he said.

One “less obvious” tactic is simply to engage employees more. Recognizing them for their work, pairing them with mentors, giving them tasks that are a good fit for their skills and making them feel like their opinions matter can positively impact employees’ emotional health, he said.

It’s in companies’ best interests to do so, he adds. “It hits the bottom line very significantly.”

How can we help these people? Most of us do not have degrees in Counseling or the ability to offer a friend drugs. Is it possible to really assist these folks? Yes, it is. 

Be a friend. Call and invite your friend to lunch or a tea break. 

Listen carefully. Do not judge. 

Our books are all designed to train ordinary people how to minister love and life to those around them. I want to be a light in the darkness. We know that simply by being positive and upbeat we can influence our neighbors to feel better. Look at my video with Charlie McMahan to see why.