Marriage problems costly to couples and companies

Most company-sponsored health plans do not cover marital therapy. The assumption seems to be that marital issues do not really impact job performance and, thus, should not be part of job-related health insurance. There is also a concern that marriage therapy goes on forever and doesn't really accomplish much.

Though the second assumption as to the effectiveness of marital therapy has been debunked more than a few times, the first assumption has been stubbornly held on to for decades. Employees leave their home life at home, or at least they should. Work is for work!

Of course, we all know from our own experience that is not true, but somehow that hasn't change our minds. Or, at least, until recently.

Research completed at a major university concluded that troubled marriages cost the economy $2.9 billion a year. That's right - $2.9 billion.

The study suggested there are two ways troubled marriages affect productivity. First, stress is known to weaken the immune system. Any relational struggles, but marital conflict in particular, result in a significant increase in stress for the people involved. The research suggested that marital-related stress resulted in a significant increase in illness and in the use of sick days by employees.

Second, when marriages were out of whack people tended to think about their relationships rather than their jobs, even when they were at work.

Employees with troubled marriages reported that they spent significant amounts of work time thinking about their problems at home, and often became involved in lengthy on-the-job phone calls with their alienated spouses. Obviously they were less productive while doing so. They were also, however, more prone to making mistakes (sometimes very costly ones) and more likely to suffer an on-the-job injury.

Now, you may think all this is a no-brainer. Of course what happens at home gets carried to work! Of course it makes us all less effective and productive! Well, sometimes we ignore such "of courses" when it might cost us money over the short term, no matter what it will cost us over time.

Considering the estimated cost of ignoring workers' marital strife, and with the proven effectiveness of professionally provided marital therapy, it is probably a good time for companies to reconsider their bias. Perhaps if your employer does not cover such therapy, you might suggest it is time to do so.

The fact is, troubled marriages do make troubled employees.

• The Rev. Ken Potts is a pastoral counselor and marriage and family therapist with Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Centers, Naperville and Downers Grove.