Mental illness of staff costs India Inc $14 billion

New Delhi: Poor mental health amongst employees costs Indian employers around $14 billion annually in absenteeism, lower productivity and attrition, according to Deloitte's Mental Health Survey.

Over the years, mental health issues have seen a steady rise globally, accentuated further by the onset of Covid-19.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), India accounts for nearly 15 per cent of the global mental health burden. To analyse the current state of mental well-being amongst Indian employees, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP (DTTILLP) undertook a survey titled 'Mental health and well-being in the workplace', it said in a statement.

The survey dives into the top stressors from an employee's perspective, along with an estimate of the yearly economic cost to Indian companies arising from poor employee mental health. Around 47 per cent of professionals surveyed consider workplace-related stress as the biggest factor affecting their mental health, followed by financial and Covid-19 challenges.

"These stressors manifest in multiple ways, affecting both the personal and professional facets of an individual's life; often with associated social and economic costs," it said.