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MENTALLY HEALTHY
Workforce
It’s a statistic that almost doesn’t compute,
it’s so staggering. One in five Canadians
will experience a mental health
illness in any given year. The personal
toll this takes is tough to calculate, but
the financial cost is measurably alarming,
taking $50 billion out of our economy annually.
What’s more, the problem is on the
rise. If we do nothing to reverse this trend,
experts predict the cost of lost productivity
in Canada will be a whopping $198 billion
over the next 30 years.
Your organization is not immune. In any
given day, 500,000 Canadians miss work
due to mental health challenges. But there
are ways to turn these numbers around.
Given that most Canadians spend at least
60 per cent of their waking hours at their
jobs, workplaces have a significant impact
on our health, for better or for worse.
A workforce that’s made aware of mental
health challenges and has been trained
to understand and assist unwell employees
can have a remarkably positive impact.
“Research shows there’s reduced onset of
illness in a socially supportive workplace,”
said Donna Hardaker, trainer with Mental
Health Works, a nationally available
program by the Canadian Mental Health
Association. “This means that some people
will not become ill at all because they have
a socially supportive workplace, while others
who are unwell may have a shorter duration
or less of a symptom load.”
In fact, studies suggest that between 10
and 25 per cent of mental disability costs
directly incurred by employers could be
avoided with early and effective intervention.
MENTAL HEALTH VS.
MENTAL ILLNESS
When experts discuss mental health in the
workplace, they’re referring to more than
just the absence of illnesses like depression
or anxiety. The World Health Organization
defines mental health as a state
of wellbeing in which every individual realizes
his or her own potential, can cope
with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully and is able to
make a contribution to her or his community.
When a workplace supports these
things – an employee’s ability to cope with
stress and work productively – it’s a mentally
healthy environment.
But even in an ideally healthy work
environment, an employee might have
trouble coping, thanks to genetic predisposition,
trauma or other environmental
factors. Because we spend so much time in
the workplace, a manager might be among
the first people to suspect a problem. For
example, someone who has always performed
well might suddenly start coming
in late and making frequent mistakes. Or
the problem might be less obvious.
“There’s the issue of presenteeism,” noted
Sapna Mahajan, director, mental health
prevention and promotion initiatives with
the Mental Health Commission of Canada
(MHCC). “There are people at work
and they’re physically there, but they’re
not productive. Their presence is actually
causing more harm than good because
other employees have to take on work for
them.” Even just one team member suffering
the effects of a mental health challenge
can poison an entire team’s productivity.
SETTING THE STANDARD
To deal with this challenge, organizations
need information and a plan. With this
in mind, the MHCC developed the National
Standard of Canada for Psychological
Health and Safety in the Workplace,
comprising guidelines, resources and tools
to help employers of any size build a mentally
healthy workplace.
Applying the recommendations in the
Standard may sound like a giant undertaking,
but it doesn’t have to be. While
there are many places to start, a logical first
step is to assess an organization’s overall
mental health. The survey tools at the
Guarding Minds at Work site, developed
by researchers from the Centre for Applied
Research in Mental Health and Addiction,
are free and immediately available.
“The survey assesses the workplace on
an organizational level, not an individual
level,” said Mahajan. “It’s not asking people,
‘Do you have a mental illness?’ It assesses
13 psychosocial factors, like engagement,
balance, involvement and influence in one’s
workload.”
Mahajan points out the importance
of understanding your organization’s
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ JANUARY 2014 ❚ 21
