Ekincare study has found depression and anxiety issues in 50 per cent of its employees. The data given by ekincare study revealed that the employees have depression, emotional or anxiety-related disorders.
Depression in the workplace has been in discussion for many years now but employees remain unaware about its symptoms for months or even years. The disturbances in the eating patterns during work hours which results in weight loss or weight gain is common among employees. And employees later found it difficult to concentrate on the projects.
The study also states that the employees are suffering from hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. The report is based on ekincare’s database of around two million employees on its platforms.
Ekincare is an AI based integrated health benefits platform which helps organizations to monitor the health and well being of its employees. Ekincare was founded by Kiran Kalakuntla and Srikanth Samudrala. It also predicts health risks and provides recommendations to combat those risks.
According to ekincare only 46 per cent of employees know about the existing mental health resources in workplaces. However, this percentage escalates to 66 per cent when employees get diagnosed with mental health disorders. The statistics showed that 60 percent of the employees cited depression, 55 per cent emotional and 50 percent irritability, insomnia, or anxiety related disorders.
This results in an uncharacteristic drop in productivity and the industry can suffer the consequences of dealing with the mental issues of its employees. The study also revealed most of the employees are not aware about the available resources to tackle the symptoms of depression, anxiety or panic attack related issues. Moreover, those employees who knew about the existing resources are not availing them.
The statistics given by ekincare also stated that 28 per cent of the employees are suffering from hypertension, 22 per cent are suffering from diabetes, and 28 per cent are suffering from high cholesterol. While considering the percentage of men and women who are suffering with mental health issues, it was found that 50 per cent men are more likely to suffer than women.
Nevertheless, it was found during the study that the employees lack awareness about mental health issues, it is compulsory to spread awareness among both employees as well as employers. Health has to be the first priority in the workplaces for which the sedentary lifestyle is the biggest impediment.
Kiran Kalakuntala, CEO and Co-founder of ekincare mentioned that “The diagnosis and the treatment of mental health cannot be treated in silos. Creating awareness about the existing workplace resources for treating mental health is imperative for any organization first, followed by consistent engagement to hold true to the promise of a work environment that values mental well-being. This enables early detection and immediate treatment thus leading to more productivity. It is crucial for companies to treat the mental health of their employees seriously to enable a happier workplace.
