The Deloitte Reports

“We know that the case for investment in employee mental health is not just a business imperative but for many businesses including Deloitte, it is also simply the right thing to do.”

Jackie Henry. Managing Partner, People & Purpose, UK. Deloitte LLP

In 2017 Deloitte published their first of three reports looking at employee mental health. They looked at what the cost was of mental health to employers and what the ROI to employers was. They did this by conducting a systematic review of over 100 reports.   In this report they also looked at what lessons can be taken from other countries regarding organisations and the mental health and well-being of their employees. Examples of good practice and different types of approaches and interventions were highlighted in Germany, Canada, Australia, France, Belgium and Sweden. You can access the full report and its findings here. 

In 2020 they published an update reviewing the costs of poor mental health to UK employers. They found that in the two years since their last study, there was an increase in costs by 16%. They also updated their work on ROI and reported yet again a positive case for investment in mental health by employers, finding an average return of £5 for every £1 invested.  In this report they also took a closer look at three areas that are impacting employees’ mental health; leaveism, financial well-being and young people. You can read the full report here

In March 2022 Deloitte once again updated this report, this time looking specifically at the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of employees. Once more they found the cost of poor mental health to businesses had increased since 2019 and an updated analysis of ROI demonstrated again the benefits for employers to invest in the mental health of their employees. In this report they also highlight four demographic groups that have been more adversely affected by the pandemic; young people, key workers, people with caring responsibilities and ethnic minorities. You can read the full report here.

“When analysing interventions according to the stage at which they are offered, we found that on average organisation-wide early interventions, such as cultural change and raising awareness of mental health issues, provide the highest ROI, at £5.60 for every £1 invested. Proactive interventions which support employee mental health at an early stage provide a slightly lower ROI of 5:1, while reactive interventions that provide support only after a deterioration in an employee’s mental health has occurred provide the lowest ROI of 3.4:1. These results demonstrate the value of early intervention and prevention.” Deloitte 2022

Some of the Evidence

There is now a significant amount of evidence, gathered over decades, that demonstrates the positive effect of a daily meditation practice for employees physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Research proves that few programs can offer such tangible evidence of improved workplace outcomes as meditating.

Here we'll dive a little deeper into the research...

• A study carried out by Stanford University School of Medicine demonstrated that meditation can lead to a 30% reduction in stress-related symptoms that often lead to serious illness.

• An internal study was conducted by Headspace regarding the benefits of guided meditation. Their findings showed that 10 days of guided meditation can reduce stress by 14% and reduce irritability by 27%. If continued for three weeks it was shown to increase compassion by 23% and reduce aggression by 57%.

• Numerous neuroimaging studies have shown that meditation enhances neural pathways in the brain responsible for concentration and attention.

• A study conducted at the Emory-Tibet Partnership showed that meditation can increase a persons ability to interpret facial expressions. This leads to a deeper sense of compassion which can strengthen relationships in the workplace.

• In a study from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands a link between mindfulness and creativity was proven. People who meditate regularly tend to improve their problem-solving abilities and think more creatively, having more 'out of the box' ideas.

• Researchers at Boston University found that meditation programs can reduce anxiety and depression, making workers more optimistic and increasing their job satisfaction.

• A chemical manufacturing firm implemented an employee meditation practice which consisted of 20 minutes before work and 20 minutes in the afternoon. The results over a three year period were:

Profit rose by 520%

Quality control increased by 240%

Productivity rose by 120%

Absenteeism dropped by 85%

Sick days fell by 76%

• General Mills found that 80% of workers who participated in a meditation or stress reduction program improved their decision-making ability.

• A survey carried out by Easy Offices, UK found that employees rate mental health support as the most important benefit of their employment package.

• In most Fortune 500 organisations, meditation is considered a necessity for employee development. Companies such as Apple, Google, Nike, AOL, Yahoo!, Intel, Aetna and many more, all promote meditation practice as part of their well-being programme for employees. 

• Employees at Intel completed a short course on meditation and reported improved creativity, well-being and focus, decreased levels of stress and stronger enthusiasm in projects and meetings. 

• Aetna, a medical insurance company and one of the 100 largest firms in the US, the introduction of free yoga and meditation classes led to huge benefits after the first year. They reported a $9 million saving in health care costs. Employees who participated in the classes reported a 28% decrease in stress levels and an increase in productivity levels. The company estimated that these improvements were adding a value of approximately $3,000/employee per year.