The Presenteeism Problem
Presenteeism is the productivity loss that occurs when employees are on the job but too stressed, ill or distracted to function well. While difficult to measure, stress and presenteeism has been found to have a very significant impact on the overall health care costs for American businesses.
- According to the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, health care expenditures are 46% higher for employees who reported high stress
- The American Stress Institute estimated that US companies spent $300 billion in 2001 for extra health care costs, lost productivity and employee turnover expenses related to stress.
- The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health estimates that 40% of the nation's workforce is negatively affected by stress.
- It has been estimated that 22% of health care utilization, 40% of employee turnover and 50% of worker's comp. non-occupational disability, absenteeism and presenteeism are attributable to stress.
Clearly, stress and presenteeism are serious - and expensive - problems in the workplace. Brochures and lectures on stress management are helpful but cannot provide your employees with the personal instruction and on-going support needed to make lasting changes in their attitudes and mental habits. The studies quoted on the right are from only a few of the many clinical studies that have shown insight meditation and mindfulness training programs to provide significant and lasting benefits. These programs are effective because they teach the student to look clearly at their life experiences and to see them as they truly are - without the judgments, resistance or impatience that is normally added to them. It is this clear seeing that enables the students to discover for themselves how to reduce the reactivity and stress levels in all areas of their lives.
Why Insight Meditation & Mindful Living?
The Insight Meditation & Mindful Living program was developed and is taught by an experienced meditator with a strong business and project management background. Plagued by serious stress-related health problems, Ms. Nielsen reluctantly began meditating as a last resort. Ten years later, she now offers students the benefits of her personal experience and knowledge of not only the techniques of meditation and mindfulness but also of how to integrate and apply those techniques to today's busy lifestyles.
For more information on meditation and the Insight Meditation & Mindful Living program, please review the Why Meditate?, the What is Insight Meditation? and the Insight Meditation & Mindful Living pages on this site. The Mindful Way will work with your organization to customize the program to fit your needs regarding time and location. In addition, specific topics pertinent to your organization such as organizational change or work/life balance can be incorporated into the program.
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In the 3 months following a mindfulness course at West Virginia University, participants reported 46% fewer medical symptoms than those who received only educational materials on stress reduction.
Patients at an inner-city clinic in San Francisco required significantly fewer medical visits in the year following an 8-week mindfulness course.
-The Benefits of Mindfulness,
Harvard Women's Health Watch,
Feb. 2004
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