Did you know that half a million Canadians miss work due to mental health issues?

Feeling productive is an essential part of maintaining positive mental health. Our workplaces can give us the opportunity to feel productive and can be a strong contributor to our individual growth and wellbeing.

Yet it can also be a stressful environment that contributes to the rise of mental health problems and illnesses.

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the cost of mental health to employees, employers, the health care system, our economy and our communities is shocking.

>> $51 billion a year is the estimated economic burden of mental illness in Canada.

>> $2.5 trillion is the cumulative cost of mental illness in Canada by 2041.

>> 30% of disability claims in Canada are due to mental illness, accounting for 70% of all disability costs.

With most of us spending the majority of our time at work - and financial and global uncertainty adding ongoing stressors - addressing issues of mental health at work has become vitally important for every Canadian employer and employee.

“A mentally healthy workplace is a high-functioning, respectful and productive environment.”

SOURCE: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person understands his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.

As an employer, there are many ways in which you can help create a psychologically healthy and safe workplace.

Building a supportive work environment that promotes mental well-being keeps your workforce strong and competitive.

Research has shown that when employers prioritize and address mental health in their workplace effectively they realize the following benefits.

BETTER:

engagement

morale

satisfaction

retention and recruitment

productivity

performance

REDUCED:

absenteeism

grievances

health costs

medical leave

disability costs

workplace injuries

employee turnover

Prioritizing mental health is one of the most important things business leaders can do.

By investing and prioritizing the mental health of their employees, businesses can build resiliency within their organization - a crucial skill that is needed to thrive in uncertain times.

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, employers are responsible for protecting the health and safety of employees and should make every reasonable effort to promote and protect their mental health. But what does that specifically mean and where do you start?

Assess your workplace for hazards, whether physical or psychological.

Identify the hazards that must be addressed and how you will mitigate those concerns.

Develop the required policies and/or programs that will address mental health in your workplace.

Implement your initiatives by assigning a champion (health and safety representative or committee) to ensure consistency and success.

According to PwC Canada, both Canadian employees and their employers are struggling with accelerated change and disruptive forces that are creating high levels of uncertainty about the future.

Canadian workers are feeling the pressure on many fronts. They’re struggling financially, are having troubling managing heavy workloads and are unsure about the skills they need for a changing world.

Many of these issues have been ongoing for some time, but an additional force of disruption emerged this year with the very rapid rise of artificial intelligence.

With organizations themselves facing similar uncertainty, challenges around labour and talent and pressures to enhance productivity and outcomes in the face of a new wave of digital disruption, they need the full support and energy of a workforce that’s ready for change and is equipped with the skills of the future.