Human resources accounting and accountability: medical aspects, regulation and economics of burn out in non-financial reporting

The economics of burnout is estimated at around $300 bn globally, reaching a point where the World Health Organisation could declare a pandemic in the foreseeable future. There are obviously financial losses due to burnout, however, there are also financial gains for the pharma industry and therapists. In this article we shall put some data in balance, but also look at deeper regulatory implications, for companies, hospitals and people. Along with exploring causes and financial impacts, we shall look at how non-financial reporting can provide more timely guidance and alarm signals, better social responsibility disclosure practices where medical reports are more material, not just a set of issues. The time is right to revisit the Human Resource Accounting (HRA) practice from both its traditional cost approach perspective and also from present challenges to understand how value is put at risk.