Stress affects organisation's returns on investment

Stress caused either due to professional or personal challenges has an impact on both the return on investment (ROI, which is quantifiable) and value on investment (VOI, qualitative) of an organisation, according to Wokplace Stress: Impact and Outcomes - An India Study, 2016.

The study by Chestnut Global Partners India and Society for Human Resource Management also pegged the organisational productivity loss per year at approximately Rs 49.67 crore, Rs 105.48 crore and Rs 10.5 crore across IT/ITES, finance/banking and travel and hospitality sectors, making it a serious contender for organisational investments towards holistic health and wellness of employees with a focus on minimising stress levels.

Lack of clarity of goals, inability to manage personal and professional responsibilities, lack of flexibility and overtime result in low work engagement, high levels of fatigue as well as increased presenteeism, the study said. The top stressors at workplace included disrespect, lack of work-life balance, overtime, inability to process constructive feedback from manager, lack of support from manager and when opinion isn't considered.