Research from TELUS Health finds that workers diagnosed with anxiety lose more than 68 working days of productivity each year.
By Maggie Mancini
TELUS Health has released its latest TELUS Mental Health Index, with reports examining the mental health of employees in New Zealand and across the globe. The report reveals that 40% of workers in New Zealand have a high mental health risk as productivity losses mount. The report also finds that workers diagnosed with anxiety lose more than 68 working days of productivity per year, underscoring the economic impact of declining mental health in New Zealand.
The mental health of New Zealand’s workforce has declined since April 2024, with areas including isolation, anxiety, and work productivity worsening.
Anxiety is the biggest mental health challenge for workers in New Zealand, the report finds. Further, younger workers are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Additionally, workers without emergency savings are nearly three times as likely to report being diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
One-third (33%) of workers with a mental health score of 50 or lower lose at least three and a half times more workdays in productivity than those with a score of 90 or higher. Workers who feel their employer provides poor support for physical well-being have mental health scores 16 points lower than those with excellent support and lose 24 more workdays per year.
The report finds that organisations can distinguish themselves by focussing on meaningful, comprehensive support for employees in all areas of well-being—physical, financial, or mental.
