Wellbeing and productivity at work

Impaired mental wellbeing affects the productivity of people at work. Xero commissioned NZIER to investigative the direct return on investment from workplace wellbeing initiatives. The results showed that the return on investment from supporting people’s mental wellbeing and productivity at work was overwhelmingly positive.

Other findings showed the return varies because people and interventions are all different. Organisational approaches tend to be more cost effective on a per employee due to economies of scale, but also because they are proactive in maintaining mental wellbeing. Employee assistance programs that respond to impaired wellbeing also offer a good return on investment.

Lastly, we think that New Zealand is out step with other OECD countries on the national data gathered by government on mental wellbeing at work. Collecting better data consistently will contribute to addressing New Zealand’s mental wellbeing and productivity challenges.