Aches, Pains Drive Worker Absences, Lost Productivity
BenefitNews Connect, November 12, 2002
Arthritis, lower back pain and repetitive motion strain are the leading causes of employee absenteeism and second only to mental health conditions in promoting “presenteeism,” or diminished productivity, a recent survey by the Institute for Health & Productivity Management (IHPM) shows. The indirect costs of these illnesses is estimated to be at least three times the direct medical cost of treating the condition, according to IHPM.
http://www.benefitnews.com/work/detail.cfm?id=3723

Stress in the Workplace: A Costly Epidemic by Rebecca Maxon
Fairleigh Dickinson University Magazine, Summer 1999
Sixty percent of lost workdays each year can be attributed to stress. In addition, an estimated 75 to 90 percent of visits to health care providers are due to stress-related conditions, costing employers in increased health care costs.
Stress also can have a direct effect on the way people handle their jobs. Employees under stress may make more mistakes, have trouble concentrating, become disorganized, become angry or just stop caring about their work. http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/99su/stress.html

Wellness Programs Can Save Companies Money
Inc.com, October 1, 1999
Companies that want to save on health care costs have no choice but to invest in wellness programs, says Dee Edington, director of the Health Management Research Center at the University of Michigan.
"If you do nothing, it’s proven that it’s going to be expensive. And you haven’t seen anything yet as the workforce continues to age. The health care curve takes off around 45 or 50."
http://www2.inc.com/search/15198.html

Employee Stress By David Lee
The John Liner Review, Fall 1997
Most organizations have no idea just how much employee stress costs them each year. A 1990 study by the Princeton, NJ, firm of Foster Higgins & Co. indicated that corporate health benefits cost the average company 45 percent of its after-tax profits. With research implicating stress in 60 percent to 90 percent of medical problems, companies cannot afford to ignore the huge health-care expense employee stress creates.
Although the relationship between stress and health care costs has received considerable attention, the true price tag is far greater than health care costs alone. Studies show that stress adds to the cost of doing business in a number of ways.
http://www.humannatureatwork.com/Workplace-Stress-1.htm