WHY THIS MATTERS

The World Health Organisation has warned that that mental illness will be the primary cause of disability and absence in the workplace by 2030 if we don't act now. Closer to home, according to the 2017 Wellness in the Workplace survey by Southern Cross and Business NZ, stress has increased by 22.9 percent across all businesses in New Zealand in two years.

Meanwhile, absenteeism and presenteeism is a serious problem – costing employers NZ$2 billion annually. High rates of absenteeism mean employees aren’t as productive as they could be, which results in lower profitability, job growth and more likeliness of errors.

Businesses that don't recognise this link between wellbeing, increased engagement and performance may find themselves not meeting their full potential, pushing outdated business models or losing valuable staff.