December 15, 2023 The Unexpected Impact of Weather on the Industrial Workforce

Employers need to implement technological solutions to reduce the risk of employee mental health on a business.

By Ramakant Vempati, Co-Founder & President, Wysa

July was the planet’s hottest month on record in the last 120,000 years, plaguing front-line workers with unsafe working conditions. From heat exhaustion to dehydration, the safety and productivity of employees was at risk. With climate change’s unceasing impact on weather, this issue will continue to pose a threat as temperatures reach new extremes, so it’s time to tackle it head on.

Managers are aware of this and are setting out to ensure employees’ physical safety through measures like more frequent water breaks and protective heat equipment.

Although it often goes unrecognized, extreme heat also has severe impacts to worker mental health. Extreme weather can cause workers to experience feelings of fatigue, irritability, and a decrease in their ability to concentrate and focus. Under these conditions, businesses are subject to liability from workplace injuries, downtime due to accidents caused by human error, decreased productivity from employees, and more serious threats, so what can enterprises do to reduce the risk that poor employee mental health has on their business?

Businesses are at risk for costly liabilities

Industrial workers such as those in manufacturing already suffer from heightened mental health concerns than the national average – 36% more in fact. Industrial workers’ predisposition for symptoms of depression or anxiety only exacerbates the risks to businesses when temperatures rise to extreme levels.

Many workers will continue their duties despite illness, injury or other factors like mental health concerns, which prevents them from being fully engaged at work. This is also known as presenteeism. This symptom of poor employee mental health can cost businesses thousands in lost productivity and increase a business’s liability to onsite accidents as employees are at work but unable to focus and perform their job safely with the level of attention needed.

When industrial workers are not focused on the job, they’re far more prone to injury. Over the last 10 years, heat-related workers’ compensation claims have increased significantly. Not to mention that, according to NCCI, falls/slips claims costs averaged $47,681 per claim. Extreme heat or otherwise, every time an industrial employee shows up to the workplace without the proper mental health care, there is a costly threat to the business.

These risks can have an immediate impact on the business, as well as more serious, long-term threats. Industrial workers are critically more vulnerable to life-threatening mental health risk like suicide or self-harm. For this reason, businesses must address mental health proactively, not reactively, especially as factors like extreme heat continue to contribute.

Measuring risk as a starting point

Employers have attempted to buckle down on these issues through traditional methods like infrequent pulse checks and surveys. However, these band-aid solutions are not enough to truly understand who in your workforce is struggling so that during times of additional duress, extra support can be provided. These methods lack data-driven insights that are imperative to a business. Employers need the tools to measure where their mental health programs stand and their efficacy.

To start, enterprises can measure their population risk – the group of individuals and employees vulnerable to mental health crises at or during the time period of interest. Periods of extreme heat are just one situation where susceptible individuals may experience heightened symptoms of depression or anxiety, so it’s helpful to have a baseline measurement across the workforce before these events occur. Once a baseline of wellbeing is established, other events that may trigger heightened employee stress can be identified and addressed such as a new period of employee promotions or the start of a ‘busy season’. 

However, as employers collect this data, it’s critical that it is aggregated at an anonymized level, prioritizing the privacy of the workforce, and encouraging them to take help. The investment into employee mental health programs will be squandered if employees are not coming forward, or truthfully sharing their struggles because they don’t trust the platforms given by their employers.

Clinically backed, digitized mental health programs provide employers with the tools to safely address employee mental health concerns, so workforces can be better supported and more resilient when intensifying events like extreme heat occur.

Technology’s role in industrial workforce mental health care

Mental health risk in industrial workforces goes beyond your employees simply having a bad day – the rate of suicide for industrial workers is about four times higher than the general population. The risk of a motor vehicle collision is 4 times higher if the driver has a mental health issue – imagine the impact on companies managing fleets, or warehouse. These are truly jarring statistics for employees who work in industries already associated with a hazardous work environment.

Right now, most industrial workers have no significant outlets for mental health support. Technologies like digital mental health platforms offer accessibility and get foundational mental healthcare to all workers. Technology alone is not the whole solution, but it plays a critical role in bridging the gap between preventative wellbeing and crisis escalation.

AI-guided solutions like conversational chatbots can provide a crystal ball into aggregate employee mental health, allowing employers to get direct insights like seeing what key phrases are being used the most or getting a sense of overall mood patterns across the workforce. For instance, during times of extreme heat, seeing words on employee screenings like ‘frustrated’ or ‘stressed’ will give a clear indication that the staff needs additional care. Employers can than have the insight needed to change their current mental health initiatives during particular periods.

These AI solutions are also important stepping-stones to more serious resources should anyone need them. AI can detect keywords that also may be cause for alarm and bring employees to the resources they need quickly. In the event of an escalation, it’s crucial to provide multiple pathways for assistance. Through digital mental health tools, employers can connect individuals in need with local or national crisis helplines, offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), guide users through grounding exercises with the help of AI, provide personalized safety plans and contact information, and offer customized resources tailored to individual needs.

Protecting your business means protecting your workforce

The intersection of extreme weather conditions and poor employee mental health presents a significant risk to businesses, with potential consequences ranging from decreased productivity and increased liabilities to heightened safety hazards.

Given the complexity of this issue, it is crucial for enterprises to adopt comprehensive and data-driven approaches to address these challenges. By implementing anonymized, clinically backed, and technology-guided mental health programs, businesses can proactively monitor and support their workforce, mitigating the risks posed by external factors such as extreme heat.

Leveraging AI-guided tools and resources can provide timely interventions and personalized support, ultimately fostering a safer and more resilient workplace for all employees.

About the Author
Data analyst and former Goldman Sachs executive, Ramakant Vempati is the co-founder of 2022 FDA breakthrough device Wysa, an AI-based digital companion for behavioral health.

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