Preprint / Version 1

Mind Over Metrics: Reframing Well-Being as a Core Economic Driver in Modern Workplaces

##article.authors##

  • Paayas Dujari None

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.2738

Keywords:

Mental Health, Workplace Well-Being

Abstract

Despite rising global awareness of mental health, modern workplaces remain entrenched in outdated metrics that prioritize output over well-being. From Silicon Valley to Hong Kong, productivity losses linked to burnout, depression, and disengagement have reached alarming levels. This paper argues that personal well-being—encompassing mental health, emotional stability, and physical wellness—is not just a social good but an underutilized economic variable. Drawing upon global datasets, economic research, and empirical workplace studies, this paper explores how well-being correlates with individual and organizational productivity. It critiques traditional key performance indicators (KPIs) and managerial frameworks that ignore the human dimensions of labor and proposes an alternative paradigm: one where flexible policies, mental health access, and well-being-driven metrics are institutionalized across industries. Through a multidisciplinary lens that combines economic theory, behavioral science, and policy analysis, the paper makes the case that integrating well-being into performance strategy is not just ethical—it is essential for sustained economic growth.

References

References

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands‐Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115

Bakker, A. B., & Xanthopoulou, D. (2009). The crossover of daily work engagement: Test of an actor–partner interdependence model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(6), 1562–1571. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017525

Berry, L. L., Mirabito, A. M., & Baun, W. B. (2010). What’s the hard return on employee wellness programs? Harvard Business Review, 88(12), 104–112.

Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J., & Ying, Z. J. (2021). Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(1), 165–218. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qju032

Centre for Mental Health. (2020). Mental health and employers: Refreshing the case for investment. https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications/mental-health-and-employers-refreshing-case-investment

Chisholm, D., Sweeny, K., Sheehan, P., Rasmussen, B., Smit, F., Cuijpers, P., & Saxena, S. (2016). Scaling-up treatment of depression and anxiety: A global return on investment analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(5), 415–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30024-4

Deloitte. (2022). Mental health and well-being in the workplace: A call to action for business leaders. https://www2.deloitte.com/

Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Tay, L. (2018). Advances in subjective well-being research. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(4), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0307-6

Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. Wiley.

Eurofound. (2022). Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey: Round 6. Publications Office of the European Union. https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/

Gallup. (2023). State of the global workplace 2023 report. https://www.gallup.com/

Grant, A. M. (2013). Rethinking the extraverted sales ideal: The ambivert advantage. Psychological Science, 24(6), 1024–1030. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612463706

Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). Well-being in the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes: A review of the Gallup studies. In C. Keyes & J. Haidt (Eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived (pp. 205–224). American Psychological Association.

Helliwell, J. F., Layard, R., Sachs, J., & De Neve, J.-E. (2023). World Happiness Report 2023. Sustainable Development Solutions Network. https://worldhappiness.report/

International Labour Organization. (2022). Mental health at work: Policy brief. https://www.ilo.org/

Johns, G. (2010). Presenteeism in the workplace: A review and research agenda. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(4), 519–542. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.630

Krueger, A. B., & Mueller, A. I. (2012). Time use, emotional well-being, and unemployment: Evidence from longitudinal data. American Economic Review, 102(3), 594–599. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.102.3.594

Layard, R. (2011). Happiness: Lessons from a new science (2nd ed.). Penguin Books.

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311

New Zealand Treasury. (2021). The Wellbeing Budget 2021: Securing our recovery. https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/wellbeing-budget/wellbeing-budget-2021

OECD. (2021). How’s life? Measuring well-being. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/statistics/how-s-life-23089679.htm

OECD. (2022). Labour productivity levels in the total economy. https://data.oecd.org/lprdty/labour-productivity-levels.htm

ONS (Office for National Statistics). (2022). Personal well-being in the UK: April 2021 to March 2022. https://www.ons.gov.uk/

Pencavel, J. (2014). The productivity of working hours. The Economic Journal, 125(589), 2052–2076. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12166

Patel, V., Saxena, S., Lund, C., Thornicroft, G., Baingana, F., Bolton, P., ... & UnÜtzer, J. (2018). The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development. The Lancet, 392(10157), 1553–1598. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31612-X

PricewaterhouseCoopers. (2014). Creating a mentally healthy workplace: Return on investment analysis. https://www.pwc.com.au/

Pronk, N. P., Martinson, B., Kessler, R. C., Beck, A. L., Simon, G. E., & Wang, P. (2004). The association between work performance and physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and obesity. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(1), 19–25.

Proper, K. I., & van Mechelen, W. (2008). Effectiveness and economic impact of worksite interventions to promote physical activity and healthy diet. World Health Organization Regional Publications. European Series, 85(1), 121–128.

Rozovsky, J. (2015). The five keys to a successful Google team. re:Work Blog. https://rework.withgoogle.com/blog/five-keys-to-a-successful-google-team/

Salesforce. (2021). Workplace wellbeing at Salesforce: What we’ve learned. https://www.salesforce.com/

SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management). (2021). The cost of turnover. https://www.shrm.org/

Unilever. (2020). Well-being and workplace safety case study. https://www.unilever.com/

Walker, M. (2017). Why we sleep: Unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Scribner.

World Health Organization. (2019). Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. https://www.who.int/

World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic’s impact. https://www.who.int/

Downloads

Posted

2025-07-13

Categories