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The holidays can be a stressful time. Of course, so can regular workdays, trying to balance needs at the office and home.

That's why, for workplace wellness programs, focusing on mental health can be as important as focusing on physical health.

“When providing a health benefits strategy, employers too often focus solely on physical health. For a happier, more productive team, integrating mental and behavioral health issues is crucial,” the Future of Business and Tech reported.

Said Colleen Fairbanks, Ph.D., Director of Behavioral Health at Interactive Health: “We know to truly impact an individual’s well-being, we need to properly attend to all aspects of their health. Enhancing a person’s emotional and physical health reduces health care costs and improves employee productivity. It not only makes good business sense, but good human sense, to incorporate emotional health into your workplace.”

“Providing a program that focuses on both physical and emotional health reduces the stigma and puts them both on an even playing field. By letting individuals know you understand the importance of emotional health, you increase awareness and encourage employees to get the help they need.”

Fairbanks continued: “One in five adults will experience some type of emotional health issue in any given year. It happens all around us. Stress, depression, or anxiety may lead employees to take more sick days or simply muddle through the workday without performing at top capacity.”

Fairbanks says emotional health accounts for $135 billion spent on health care every year. Depression itself, on average, results in $17-44 billion a year in lost productivity.

Added Dr. Fairbanks: “There's a lot of buzz in the wellness industry right now around emotional health, and for good reason. Buzz, however, does not mean interventions and resources are being applied as a result of rigorous research and evaluation. It's very easy to haphazardly pull together stress management type resources and label it as emotional health.”

“Interactive Health has assessed the emotional health of its members for over 10 years. We analyzed our book of business data and uncovered statistically significant trends related to emotional health risk as it correlates to age, gender and presence of particular physical health conditions. Our data was further confirmed via empirically validated scientific literature. Born out of this meaningful measurement, we strategically designed impactful interventions to reduce our members’ physical and emotional health risks.”

Said David Ballard, Psy.D., director of the American Psychological Association's Center for Organizational Excellence, “Forward-thinking employers are taking steps to create a positive work environment where employees can thrive. In turn, employees are more engaged and committed to the organization’s success. This shared responsibility for creating a psychologically healthy workplace promotes an organizational culture that values well-being and performance, and delivers results for employees and the organization alike.”

The post states: “Dr. Ballard says success depends on how well an organization tailors its programs and policies to meet its employees' needs. The types of practices generally fall into categories that include employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work-life balance and employee recognition. It's a good idea to start with an assessment of employee needs. Then, evidence-based practices can be implemented, evaluated and refined to obtain the best outcomes possible.”