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Family issues, financial struggles, and mental health problems impacting employers.

illchild32150464.jpgEvery year a total of 407 days of lost worker productivity are reported by U.S. employers. As if that's not enough, an additional 55 million workers readily state that they have been unable to concentrate at work due to an illness they are facing or the illness of a loved one. That's approximately 50% of all workers experiencing at least one day in which they lost productivity at work because of an illness to themselves or a family member.

When put into perspective, we realize that family, financial struggles and mental health problems have a very large and inescapable impact on businesses. It now takes 77 weeks of paid employment at average wages to cover the typical expenses of an American family. A recent study estimates that the expense of raising a child to age 18 is $627,492. This doesn't take into account the need for most families to now have two working adults in order to meet the demands of rising costs and that dual-income situations are probably here to stay.

Rising costs of food, gas, and health insurance has many American's spending more time focusing on how to make ends meet than work these days. It's hard enough to swallow the ever-increasing costs of health insurance by employers and their staff, but with a crawling economy and more lay offs looming, it's no wonder employees can't concentrate on what they're supposed to be accomplishing at work.

At least a quarter of work issues are the result of employees having to manage responsibilities both at home and at work. ? Reduced work performance, increased absenteeism, higher turnover rates and poor morale have all been linked to the conflict between work and family responsibilities. ? The single most significant reason behind the increased rates of absenteeism in recent years is the need to handle family responsibilities
It exists primarily because a majority of those family members who have traditionally been in charge of care giving (care of children; care of elderly parents) are now in the paid labor force and are having to compromise on both sides of their responsibilities.

According to the Federal Reserve Board, in 2008 Americans amassed over 2.5 trillion dollars in personal consumer debt an average of $8,565 per household. In a national survey of 1,380 full-time employees, more employees than ever before are indicating an interest in obtaining advice and guidance from their employers for their financial problems from monthly household budgets to information on retirement.

Dispelling the myths that have surrounded mental illness for years can be a daunting task. The greatest challenge is the struggle for an employee to tell their employer that they are suffering from a mental illness. The stigma attached to admitting something so personal has proven to be overwhelming for many. This has lead to confusion by employers and in some cases, dismissal from a job when a seemingly stable employee suddenly starts exhibiting foreign behaviors. Dismissal that may have been unnecessary had the employee discussed his situation with a manager or HR representative.

Supervisors are often the first to recognize a change in their employee's behaviors and as such, are in a position to support the organization's commitment to helping the employee. The best statement to send to employees is a clear message that the organization is nondiscriminatory and mental illness is seen no differently than a physical illness or disability, all employees will be treated fairly.

As more employers become aware of how much lost productivity is attributed to their employees dealing with the stresses of the world today and the ever changing needs of families, we will see changes in how businesses help alleviate some of these problems through employee assistance programs, wellness programs and increased awareness in the workplace through training and education.

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