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I have worked with a wide range of organizations around the world and interacted with individuals in varied settings and all levels of seniority – from graduate trainees to CEOs and successful entrepreneurs. Perhaps the most common fundamental issue that my clients express to me is that their performance is, at times, considerably lower than they would like and feel they are capable of. Many people have a sense that they could do more and be more effective – they’re just not sure how.

For some people, though, the issues are more acute. They may feel devitalized and swamped with work. A significant minority, no matter how hard they try, feel perpetually ‘off the pace’ in terms of the jobs they need to do. Work can somehow bleed (or haemorrhage) into personal time, including the evenings, weekends and holidays. All the while, this quite relentless nature of work can leave individuals feeling short of both time and energy.

Ultimately, the quality and quantity of their output tends to suffer, which usually adds to the stress and only compounds the problem. Now blighted by fatigue, some people can struggle to stay afloat and conclude the way they live and work is completely unsustainable. Ultimately, some decide it’s all too much for them and it’s time to go. For others, their organization makes that decision for them. I’ve seen the careers of many very talented and experienced professionals end unnecessarily prematurely in this way.

The cost here is not purely personal, of course. When individuals underperform, this has impact on the business too. ‘Going off sick’ is a potential consequence here, but this is the mere tip of the iceberg. My experience tells me that absenteeism is a relatively confined problem, especially at senior levels within an organization. Much more of an issue, though, can be ‘presenteeism’: essentially, people enduring long working days consumed with ‘busyness’, but at the same time simply not getting the results they, and maybe others, expect.

This sort of underperformance saps an organization’s productivity, which inevitably knocks on to revenues and profitability. This can eat into the bottom line, as will the increased costs relating to staff turnover: many organizations have considerable people ‘churn’, and substantial sums can be spent recruiting and training replacements. Healthcare costs associated with wellness issues can be a significant financial drain, too.

All organizations need to justify the resources they put into learning and development. It’s clear, though, that whatever is spent on making tangible improvements to the wellness, effectiveness and sustainability of its people pales into insignificance compared to the cost of not making this investment.