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Workplace Insight writes: “More than half (55 percent) of employers have reported an increase in the level of stress and mental health related illnesses at work, according to the annual Benefits and Trends Survey from Aon.”

The post quotes Mark Witte, principal of Aon Employee Benefits, as saying: “Mental health statistics continue to demand action from employers. We know that one in four working days are lost to the issue. This represents a third of long-term absence cases and now this latest headline figure from our own survey suggests a robust mental health strategy should be at the forefront of the HR and business agenda. However, designing an effective strategy can represent a daunting and complex task for some as there can be many underlying influences contributing to the overall picture.”

He continued: “We maintain that the best approach should feature a number of key phases. This would involve understanding the culture of the firm, robust analysis of data to guide strategy, an assessment of available support and resources, and then execution of the strategy, characterised by an effective, engaging communications approach.”

Mental wellness is a topic we've reported on often. It can be an important factor in a well-run workplace wellness program.

In a recent post we cited a study published in BMC Public Health and titled “Healthy and productive workers: using intervention mapping to design a workplace health promotion and wellness program to improve presenteeism.”

The study states: “Presenteeism is a growing problem in developed countries mostly due to an aging workforce. The economic costs related to presenteeism exceed those of absenteeism and employer health costs. Employers are implementing workplace health promotion and wellness programs to improve health among workers and reduce presenteeism.” The study sought to “use an intervention mapping approach to develop a workplace health promotion and wellness program aimed at reducing presenteeism.”

As Aon's Witte states in the Workplace Insights piece: “Having a good understanding of health risks will enable employers to make informed decisions and to take positive action that will have a real impact on future cost projections. “