Mental Health in the Workplace
Of all the cultural advances made in Canada over the last few decades, arguably one of the most important has been the push to eliminate the stigma that surrounds mental illness and to normalize speaking openly about mental health. Though the topic remained a societal undercurrent for years, mental illness is everywhere in our country, and affects every Canadian; in any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians will experience some kind of mental health issue, and by age 40, about 50% of Canadians will have experienced an episode with mental illness. Those who don’t experience persistent issues with their mental health have undoubtedly seen the effects of mental illness on someone around them, like a family member or friend. Efforts to bring mental health issues to light have been long overdue, and is something that all Canadians should engage in.
Mental illness is an umbrella term, covering numerous different specific illnesses. Some examples of mental illnesses include mood disorders (depression or bipolar disorder), anxiety disorders, addiction and schizophrenia, though there are many more. Mental illnesses arise due to a complex mix of factors, including family lineage, age, gender, substance abuse and life stressors (such as issues with family or with money). Those who experience physical health issues are also more likely to experience mental health issues than their peers without the same problems; for example, about 50% of people hospitalized with heart issues display depressive symptoms. Men are more likely to experience addiction issues while women are more pre-disposed to experiencing mood and anxiety disorders.
When people are experiencing mental health issues, the effects on their personal and professional lives can be devastating. Untreated mental illness makes people withdraw from those close to them, experience irritability and anger, engage in behaviour that’s detrimental to their well-being and personal safety, experience mood fluctuations or depressive episodes, and in more extreme cases, causes people to act in aggressive and violent ways towards others. These kinds of changes in one’s mental state can’t be checked at the door when they arrive at work each day, thus it inevitably spills over into their professional life. In times where one is struggling with their mental health, it can make it extremely difficult for them to remain engaged in their professional duties and produce good quality work for their organization. For example, data from The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) suggests that depression reduces someone’s cognitive function about 35% of the time. They’ll also be more likely to miss work as a result of their illness; it’s estimated that at least 500,000 Canadians miss work each week due to a mental health issue. This puts people who experience mental health issues at a high risk of leaving their jobs, facing unemployment and staying unemployed on a long-term basis.
One of the tricky things about the link between mental health and the workplace is that having a job is both an excellent way to improve one’s mental health while simultaneously being a major risk factor for triggering mental health setbacks and decline. On one hand, having a job gives a person a sense of purpose, gives them a set of goals to work towards and provides structure in their daily life. Though everyone you know with a full-time job would probably love more time off, having too much time away from work can quickly push a vulnerable person into a rut and damage their sense of self-worth. Having a job also gives a person a new group of people to interact with and provides them with an income, allowing them to support themselves independently. All these factors can greatly help a person who’s experiencing a low period in their lives to turn things around and balance out their mental health.
On the other hand, a workplace that isn’t geared to accommodate mental health concerns can be extremely triggering when it comes to causing employees’ mental health to decline. Most adults spend the majority of their time at work, so it should be no surprise that the nature of one’s workplace and position have major impacts on their overall mental health. There are a number of ways a workplace can diminish employees’ mental health, including inflexible working hours, unclear organizational objectives and poor communication and management practices among others. In workplaces where safety is of the utmost importance (such as in manufacturing or construction), having poor safety protocols or displaying a lack of regard for employees’ safety can also be extremely taxing on an employee’s day-to-day mindset. Those who work in certain types of jobs are pre-disposed to experiencing mental health issues more so than others due to the nature of their daily responsibilities (for example, first responders or those who work in high-stress positions in hospitals). Even more so, harassment and bullying are frequently reported in workplaces; this kind of psychological stress can make it extremely difficult for a person to face their co-workers on a daily basis and feel like they’re safe when they’re at work.
The cost of treating mental health issues, both for our country’s healthcare system and for employers, is enormous. Research from CAMH shows that the economic burden of mental health in Canada totals over $51 billion each year, with $6.3 billion of that made up of lost productivity costs for employers. For employers, these lost productivity costs largely break down into time lost due to lack of focus, retention-related costs and particularly absenteeism. It’s also reported that 70% of workplace disability claims made in Canada are related to mental illness. However, there is strong research that suggests that organizations that invest in their employees’ mental health see a major return for their efforts. A recent study led by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that for every $1 USD an organization puts towards targeting and treating common mental health issues, they see a return of $4 USD in productivity and health improvements.
Still, it’s understandable that as an employer, approaching the topic of mental health with your employees can be a difficult thing to do. The stigma of equating mental illness and weakness is still ingrained in many of us. Countless affected individuals aren’t comfortable bringing their health concerns to their employer (particularly given the power dynamics at play) for fear of being perceived as “crazy” or that they’ll be considered unfit to be a key staff member. Even if your employees don’t buy in to the stigma, mental health (just like physical health) can be an extremely personal topic; many people have a difficult time speaking publicly about their struggles, even if they’re only experiencing them on a periodic basis. That means that even if you’re making a strong effort to engage your team and ensure that you prioritize their mental wellbeing, there still may be plenty of people who aren’t comfortable to come forward about it.
So, with that in mind, what steps can you take in your organization to ensure your employees know their mental health is a high priority? First, CAMH recommends having an organization-wide mental health strategy in place. This strategy will define how your organization will respond to mental health from all angles, from prevention, risk mitigation, treatment and so on, and should be clearly defined in company literature so that team members can access it when they need it. The more detail, the better: there should be a clear path to a resolution for any standard issue that may arise in your organization due to mental health concerns. This strategy should align with your organization’s overall mission, values and objectives, and should be adaptable with changing conditions (ex. introducing COVID-specific policies). When creating a strategy, it’s important to consider factors like work-life balance, job stress and inclusion, and critical to determine how your organization will measure success. CAMH suggests introducing “employee mental health” as a key performance indicator for your organization as you track your strategy’s effectiveness.
It’s also important to ensure that once your organization has a strategy clearly defined, you’ll need to provide a level of education and/or training on mental heath for all levels of your organization. For those in management or higher-level positions, training will equip them with the tools they need to manage situations related to mental health confidently and appropriately. Without it, different staff members are likely to have different responses to mental health-related issues, which might spread confusion or misinformation amongst lower-level staff about your organization’s overall position on mental health. For those in lower-level positions, even just a short education session will clarify your organization’s stance on mental health, outline what each employee is entitled to in regards to preserving their health and give them a chance to share if they feel comfortable. It will also drive home that your organization wants to take on an “open door policy”, meaning if one of your staff members has a concern, they should feel safe bringing it to their manager before it spirals into a larger issue that reduces their overall quality of life and costs your organization in time and resources. Even if they’re not comfortable with sharing in a large group setting, your employees may feel more comfortable coming to you with their concerns about their mental health if they know the organization prioritizes their mental wellbeing.
Another idea is to offer your employees a set number of “mental health days” that they can take off work in a similar fashion to sick days. These days could be time where the employee is meant to be accessing mental health services, or they could be days off to be used at the employee’s discretion to recharge. Though a day off here and there isn’t a resolution for more serious mental health issues, a day to rest can make a significant difference in someone’s overall stress levels and their ability to make productive contributions at work. Plus, offering days that are earmarked specifically for mental health (separate from standard sick days) will show your team that your organization recognizes mental health as being just as important as physical health in terms of their overall wellbeing.
Finally, you can offer your employees a greater degree of support by offering them a financial benefits program. Life stressors are widely recognized by experts as one of the triggers for mental health issues, and one of the greatest stressors in the average person’s life is their financial situation. Particularly with the onset of the pandemic, millions of Canadians are more stressed about their financial situation than ever; 2 out of 3 employees report being more stressed out since the onset of COVID-19. Even people who didn’t lose their jobs suddenly are still concerned about what the next few months will bring, and how the pandemic will affect their organization. By offering your staff a match-based benefits program, you can work with each individually to provide a financial cushion that will help alleviate their financial stress and give them peace of mind as the pandemic progresses. This kind of extra support from your organization will show your team members that you, as their employer, care about their overall wellbeing and want them to succeed in their lives.
Overall, it’s extremely important that your organization has a solid plan in place to deal with the issue of your employees’ mental health. There’s unfortunately still a great deal of uncertainty and shame that exists surrounding the topic of mental health, and those who experience mental health issues often fear what the repercussions of being open about their illness with the authority figures in their lives will bring. By showing your team that you prioritize their mental health as an essential piece of both their overall wellbeing and your organization’s success, your organization will be able to rise above your competitors and really focus its efforts on reaching it’s collective goals.
If you’re a Canadian employer interested in adopting an innovative, impactful benefits package to retain your employees, reduce the effects of financial stress in the workplace and set yourself apart from your competitors, match-based saving benefits may be right for your business! QUBER is an industry leader in Canadian match-based savings and can offer employers a customized experience using the QUBER platform to facilitate match-based savings with their employees. If you’re interested in seeing a demo of how QUBER can help strengthen your relationship with your employees, send us an email at contactus@quber.ca or visit our Employers page and send us a message using the contact form found at the bottom of the page.
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