How much is stress costing your business?

Posted on June 26, 2023 in Insurance

How much is stress costing your business?

While it’s not surprising that stress in the workplace has a negative effect on productivity, the full extent of the problem can be startling.

Just how bad is the problem?¹

Statistics show that the large majority (83%) of Americans are stressed out by at least one thing at work, with 30% of employees reporting high levels of workplace stress. In addition, jobs were cited by 1 in 4 as their number one source of stress. These high levels of stress have not gone unnoticed, as 3 out of 4 Americans believe there is more stress than a generation ago.

The costly results of job stress^2,3

Stress costs employers more than $300 billion annually.⁴ That’s due in part to employees who report high stress levels being less engaged, less productive and missing more work than those who don’t have excessive stress. In fact, 1 million workers are absent every day due to stress, with stressed employees taking more than 4.6 sick days per year compared to just a little more than 2.6 days for those with low stress. In addition, 60% to 80% of workplace accidents are caused by stress.

The cost to oral health

People under greater stress also report poorer oral health.⁵ Poor oral health has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and a number of other health issues.⁶

Stress is also linked to canker sores, gum disease and tooth grinding (also known as bruxism).⁷ Stress can also cause people to develop poor habits that can lead to gum disease, including smoking, having a poor diet, neglecting oral hygiene and putting off dental visits.⁸

Oral health problems lead to a decline in productivity as employees miss more than 164 million hours of work due to dental visits,⁹ costing employers more than $6 billion annually.¹⁰

These statistics show the importance of promoting a lower stress environment in the workplace. It’s vital to understand the top causes of stress so you can focus your efforts in the right areas (including a strong benefits program) to increase productivity and help your employees enjoy better oral and overall health.

Sources:

1 https://www.business.com/images/content/56c/b52d62f87b1ed7128905c/0-0-/

2 https://www.business.com/images/content/56c/b52d62f87b1ed7128905c/0-0-/

3 https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhigginbottom/2014/09/11/workplace-stress-leads-to-less-productive-employees/#41c3002631d1

4 https://www.businessinsider.com/how-stress-at-work-is-costing-employers-300-billion-a-year-2016-6

5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5010733/

6 https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/gum-disease-and-the-connection-to-heart-disease

7 https://www.healthgrades.com/conditions/6-ways-stress-can-affect-your-oral-health

8 https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/conditions/gum-disease/ada-11-evidence-stress-periodontal-disease

9 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5772383/

10 https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/basics/index.html