Workplace Mental Health
What does Workplace Mental Health have to do with You? Everything.
Your employees' mental health impacts absenteeism, morale, benefits use, and much more. It affects your workplace's productivity, culture and profits. That's why it's essential to address any psychological hazards in the workplace that can contribute to mental harm or injury.
Consider the following statistics.
- In any given week approximately 500,000 Canadian workers will not go to work due to mental health issues.
- Mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, account for 30% of short-term and long-term disability claims and 70% of disability costs.
- Employers lose more than 6 billion dollars annually in lost productivity, absenteeism, presentism and turnover.
(Source: Mental Health Commission of Canada)
So what does that mean for your organization?
Pay close attention to how your organization works and how you and your managers connect with your people. You can achieve this with mindfulness, attentiveness and greater awareness to ensure healthy minds at work!
According to the National Standard for Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace, there are at least 13 workplace factors that can affect a worker's health:
- Protection of Physical Safety
- Psychological Protection
- Civility & Respect
- Clear Leadership &Expectations
- Psychological Support
- Growth & Development
- Recognition & Reward
- Involvement & Influence
- Workload Management
- Balance
- Engagement
- Organizational Culture
- Psychological Demands
Putting it all together
Developing a workplace mental health program doesn't have to be complicated, costly or time-consuming. Your first step is understanding your readiness.
1. Getting Started: Awareness and Education
- Building mental health literacy and understanding
- Developing a foundation
2. Gaining Momentum: Understanding and Integration
- Gathering data to understand pain points and create your baseline
- Where is the greatest amount of risk for mental harm?
- Developing and implementing actions to mitigate mental harm or injury
3. Raising the Bar: Adoption and Excellence
- Implementing a framework to support your workplace mental health programming
- Ongoing evaluation and review for continual improvement
Ready to get started?
As a business owner, a comprehensive and thought out policy or program can create a more productive workplace for everyone in your community. You have the power to make a difference. For information and assistance, connect with us regarding WSPS' consulting services at customercare@wsps.ca.
Helpful Resources
Think Mental Health Website
ThinkMentalHealth.ca s a joint effort from Ontario Health and Safety System Partners to provide business owners with the resources needed to better understand and prevent mental health problems. Our goal is to help you, your staff, and your company stay healthy.
