Mental Health in the Workplace

Did you know that 71 per cent of Canadian employees report a degree of concern with psychological health and safety in their workplace?

 

Mental health is an integral part of everyone’s life, especially at work. There are many resources employers and employees can use to ensure that mental health matters. According to the Government of Canada, employers and employees both benefit from a healthy workplace in the following ways:

With mental health support you will have:

A better employee:

• Engagement
• Morale
• Satisfaction
• Retention and recruitment
• Productivity

The reduction of:

• Absenteeism
• Grievances
• Health costs
• Medical leave/disability
• Workplace injuries

Employers can ensure they have a healthy workplace by providing an environment that promotes mental health and the overall well-being of its employees.

Additionally, according to the Government of Canada (2018), the following eight top practices ensure a workplace promotes mental health well-being.

1. Encourage employee participation and decision-making.
2. Define employee duties and responsibilities.
3. Promote work-life balance.
4. Encourage/model respectful behaviours.
5. Ensure manageable workloads.
6. Provide training and learning opportunities.
7. Have conflict resolution practices in place.
8. Recognize employee contributions effectively.

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, “about 30 per cent of short- and long-term disability claims in Canada are attributed to mental health problems and illnesses. The total cost from mental health problems to the Canadian economy exceeds $50 billion annually” (2020, para. 3). It is imperative to ensure your workplace promotes positive mental health to reduce time lost. Mental health needs to be an open discussion within the workplace to make sure it is not stigmatized and put aside. The Mental Health Commission states “the more stigma can be reduced, the better the outcomes for people and programs promoting mental wellness (2020).

At Black Gold and BGGoPlan, we provide our employees with various team-building activities, such as volunteering and events. We also make it a priority to have our employees participate in a weekly work out from our neighbours at the FitHouse.

For additional resources for mental health in the workplace, please visit the Government of Canada Mental Health Resource page:

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/health-safety/mental-health.html.

Upcoming mental health days:

• Jan. 29, 2020 – Bell Let’s Talk Day
• May 6 to 12, 2020—Mental Health Week
• Oct. 10, 2020 – World Mental Health Day

References

Social Development Canada. (2018). Government of Canada. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/health-safety/mental-health.html

Mental Health Commission. (n.d.). Stigma and Discrimination. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/what-we-do/stigma-and-discrimination