A large-scale study tracking over 18,700 working adults has found that even moderate psychological distress can affect job performance. The research, which analyzed data from an Australian survey collected between 2007 and 2021, included 70,973 observations from 18,729 participants.
Researchers measured psychological distress using the Kessler 10 scale, a questionnaire that asks how often people felt nervous, hopeless, exhausted, or restless over the past month. Participants were grouped into low, moderate, or high distress based on their scores. The study then tracked three workplace outcomes: how often people missed work due to illness, whether they showed up while unwell, and whether they were working fewer hours than they wanted.
The data showed that workers with moderate distress were already missing more work due to sick days and were more likely to show up to work while unwell compared to their low-distress peers. Workers with high distress showed even steeper numbers across both measures. Sickness absence was higher for workers with moderate distress than for low-distress peers, and those with high distress missed even more days. Presenteeism, the act of showing up while physically or mentally unwell, was significantly more common among workers with moderate or high distress. The primary analysis did not find a significant link between psychological distress and working fewer hours than desired.
The financial toll is substantial. Workers with high psychological distress incurred an estimated AUD 3,656 more per year in presenteeism-related costs compared to those with low distress. Presenteeism is often overlooked because it does not show up in absence records or trigger a conversation with a manager, but it can erode focus, decision-making, and work quality.
Many people with moderate psychological distress do not see themselves as struggling. They are functioning and showing up, but functioning and thriving are not the same. The subtle signs that psychological distress is affecting work include difficulty concentrating, reduced motivation, more mistakes, irritability, and procrastination.
Small habits that support mental health at work
Small, consistent habits can make a difference for how people feel and how they show up at work. Regular physical activity, even a 20-minute walk or a short strength session, can lower stress hormones and lift mood. Protecting sleep is also important, as poor sleep worsens distress and distress disrupts sleep. A consistent sleep schedule and a wind-down routine can support mental health.
Micro-recovery moments, such as short breaks throughout the workday away from a screen, help the brain reset and reduce mental fatigue. Setting boundaries around work hours, including clear start and end times and protecting time off from work notifications, can help reduce low-grade stress. Reaching out before hitting a wall is key, as productivity loss begins at moderate distress, not just at the severe end.
The study concludes that psychological distress does not have to reach crisis level to affect work. Even moderate mental strain can increase sick days and reduce output on days people do show up. Presenteeism is where much of that loss happens. Tending to mental health early through movement, sleep, boundaries, and support is a direct investment in how people perform and how they feel.
