In the modern American workplace, productivity and the effective delivery of service are the paramount concerns. Organizations aspire to be lean, and all levels of most companies are being asked to do more with less. Company directors, managers and line level employees are under unceasing stress.
Most employers today realize that the operation and productivity of their company is a direct result of the health and well-being of its employees. Research in the last decade of the 20th century began to quantify the bottom-line consequences of employee turnover, stress, burnout, depression and addiction. The numbers are staggering.
Stress, addiction and other common life problems significantly affect employees’ mental well-being and their ability to be productive (or even present) at work. Similarly, these issues, when they affect employees’ family members, can be distracting and disruptive.
There is now known to be a fine line between mental and physical illnesses. An employee dealing with unaddressed family or personal problems will often begin to experience an increasing number of physical complaints. This, of course, leads to more—and more expensive—doctor visits, diagnostic tests, medications and therapies.