Job orworkplace factors, such as job satisfaction, support from managersor feeling isolated will exert their own influence on productivityvia mental and/or physical health. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Workplace productivity owes a lot to thehealth, both physical and mental, of its employees and the supportthe employer provides to employees.

That's according to a new study published in the Journal ofOccupational and Educational Medicine by researchers from VitalityGroup, in partnership with Cambridge University and CharlesUniversity, which finds that health-related issues cause employeesto lose the equivalent of 31.2 working days each year.

Among the factors considered in the survey were the influence ofemployees' lifestyle, commuting time, physical and mental health,well-being, and job and workplace environment on productivitylevels. And when controlling for personal characteristics, thestudy finds, mental and physical health account for more than 84percent of the direct effects on productivity loss.

Related: 5 ways to help reduce employee stress in theworkplace

Not only that, 93 percent of the indirect influences arefiltered through mental and/or physical health, so that even job orworkplace factors, such as job satisfaction, support from managersor feeling isolated will exert their own influence on productivityvia mental and/or physical health.

“At first glance the results may not be surprising as we'veknown for some time that the way companies operate has a directimpact on employee health, but also that employee health directlyimpacts the success of companies,” Francois Millard, SVP and chiefactuarial officer at Vitality Group, is quoted saying.

Millard adds, “What's concerning is that despite theseidentified issues, organizations continue to spend billions ofdollars on addressing the symptoms related to physical and mentalhealth rather than the causes.”

The report cites a finding from health and productivity researchorganization the Integrated Benefits Institute that in the U.S.,poor health costs employers $530 billion and 1.4 billion workdaysof absence and impaired performance.

Such findings were recently bolstered by the World HealthOrganization's report on burnout as an occupational phenomenon,underscoring the need for employers to keep a handle on employeehealth and well-being.

Read more: 

• EAP counseling can reduce work stress and improveproductivity
• Is your company culture undermining employeeproductivity?
• 3 ways to reduce presenteeism and improveproductivity