Tremendous Economic Toll Of Depression In Wisconsin Workplace

A unique and robust partnership to
address the significant economic burden of depression in the Wisconsin
workplace was announced today by the Charles E. Kubly Foundation of
Milwaukee. This partnership engages Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton,
Johns Hopkins workplace researcher Alan Langlieb, MD, and Employee Benefits
News, the nation's leading trade publication for benefits managers, to
consider what Wisconsin employers can do to strengthen the state's
workforce and its productivity.



This month a Special Report for Wisconsin Businesses will be mailed to
5100 state leaders in corporations, insurance, health care, government and
public policy. This report, "Sustaining Productivity: Addressing the
Economic Burden of Workplace Depression," is being disseminated as a
supplement to a special issue of Advancing Suicide Prevention, a national
health policy magazine. This issue focuses on male populations at greatest
risk for suicide, and contributing factors including undiagnosed and
untreated depression and substance-use disorders. The initiative is funded
by the Charles E. Kubly Foundation, a Milwaukee-based public charity
committed to improving the lives of those affected by depression.



"As Wisconsin employers seek better ways to maximize workforce
productivity and company-sponsored health benefits, considering the role of
depression is critical," says Denise Pazur, senior editor for the
Sustaining Productivity supplement. "That's because depression, if left
untreated or undertreated, can lead to failed projects and faulty products,
absenteeism and employee turnover, diminished on-the-job safety, flawed
decision making, poor morale and lack of teamwork. The drain on
productivity is significant, to say the least."



Nationally 225 million workdays are lost annually to productivity
decline related to depression, according to recent research; this is more
work loss and impairment than that from diabetes, asthma, arthritis and
other chronic conditions, notes Pazur.



Moreover, employers are in a unique -- and powerful -- role to
positively impact workplace depression, say experts, by improving the
design, delivery, purchase and implementation of behavioral health benefits
they fund. What's more, employers who proactively address depression in
their employees have seen real financial return on that investment. These
include medium-size employer Highsmith, Inc. of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin,
which has seen health premiums and employee turnover at rates significantly
lower than state or national averages; the Highsmith story is profiled in
the Sustaining Productivity supplement. Also featured is an "Employer Call
to Action" with eight key actions that Wisconsin business and policy
leaders can take to better address the economic and emotional burden of
depression in the workplace.



"Wisconsin employers are uniquely positioned to improve the
productivity of their workforce, and ultimately their own bottom line and
the economic outlook for our state," says Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara
Lawton. "As major purchasers of health care coverage, employers are de
facto health policymakers. They can drive quality and accountability
performance with the decisions they make as collective consumers. And their
influence bears the weight of responsibility for the health and wellbeing
of Wisconsin families, the workplace and our state economy."


Charles E. Kubly Foundation

charlesekublyfoundation

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