Wei Zhang
Back problems, mood disorders and migraines account for the largest productivity losses among 16 chronic health problems, according to recent research from the School of Population and Public Health.
Published this month in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, the research found an average of 1.35 days missed per employee due to health problems over a three-month period.
The research found that back problems cost Canada $621 million in three months, mood disorders cost $299 million, and migraines cost $245 million over the three months. These conditions had a strong association with absenteeism and a high prevalence in the population.
Led by postdoctoral fellow Wei Zhang, the research looked at 28,678 eligible respondents to the 2010 Canadian Community Health Survey, the latest data available at the time of the study. These losses were calculated by multiplying the incremental number of workdays missed by the number of employees with the specific condition, the average hours per work day (eight hours) and an average hourly wage of $24.33. The final losses also included the employee benefits paid by employers and the impact of employee absenteeism on their colleagues’ productivity.
Although the research listed several limitations, including chronic conditions being based on self-reporting and wage information not being asked as part of the Canadian Community Health Survey, the authors argue the study could help employers prioritize chronic conditions when implementing programs to manage these conditions and employee absenteeism.
Targeted programs or interventions addressing the conditions most associated with high absenteeism and lost productivity could be cost-effective for employers, Dr. Zhang said.
“If the employer is willing to address the problem but has a limited budget, and they want to have a target, they can target those areas,” said Dr. Zhang, who is based in the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences and supported by the Partnership for Work, Health and Safety.
Co-author Chris McLeod, an Assistant Professor in the School of Population and Public Health, said the study supported a continued focus on understanding the burden of chronic diseases and interventions on an employer level, and awareness on a societal level.
“It helps support the idea that chronic conditions, and particularly some chronic conditions… relate or create significant productivity losses,” he said.
Co-author Mieke Koehoorn, a Professor in the School of Population and Public Health, said employers have done a fairly good job of accommodating individuals with acute conditions such as cancer. But chronic conditions covered by this research were not as accommodated, and point to a need for greater innovation in such areas as benefits and job sharing.