Mexico leads the world in the number of hours worked per worker, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Despite this, Mexico’s productivity is not as high as it could be. With 2,137 hours worked per year per employee, Mexico almost doubles the number seen in countries like the United States and Canada. However, despite working long hours, Mexico’s contribution to GDP per hour worked is very low at just 22.2 dollars. In contrast, countries with fewer working hours, such as Ireland and the United States, have a much higher contribution to GDP per hour worked at 109.5 dollars and 77.1 dollars respectively.
Productivity is not solely determined by the number of hours worked but is influenced by other factors such as work culture, psychosocial risks, and mental health of workers. Workplace presenteeism is a growing problem that affects both employees and companies. This phenomenon refers to when an employee attends their job but their performance is subpar due to various reasons such as excessive workloads, stress, anxiety, depression or burnout caused by negative work environments.
Affor Health consulting firm specializes in psychosocial preventive management notes that workplace presenteeism has become a major issue for companies’ productivity. As companies navigate the return to office post-COVID-19 pandemic many are reevaluating their processes and recognizing that simply responding to emails does not equate to productivity which is more closely linked to mental health and organizational climate.
Despite presenteeism having multiple causes neglecting psychosocial risks in the workplace can be a common trigger hence it’s crucial for companies to assess their risks and implement measures to support their employees’ mental health.
