Most companies are concerned about their employees’ mental wellbeing, but very few have a formal plan in place
Employee mental health is a burgeoning issue confronting Canadian employers, but very few have a formal strategy in place – leaving them poorly placed to deal when problems arise.
Although 81 percent of employers in a recent Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) survey said they believe health and wellbeing is a good investment, only 40 percent have a mental health strategy - including just 35 percent of small businesses.
Large businesses were better equipped to deal with mental health issues: 76 percent have a formal strategy, as do 65 percent of medium-sized businesses.
Some employers were concerned about the cost, the scope of their responsibilities and privacy issues – while others simply didn’t know what to do, says OCC’s interim president Richard Koroscil.
OCC has created a toolkit, Working Towards Mental Wellness, to help businesses develop their own strategies and create a culture that supports the goal of a mentally healthy workplace – without any major costs.
“The problem in a lot of small enterprises is that they don’t have HR professionals within their organization,” Koroscil says.
“We see it as a big issue and I think the majority of our employers see it as an issue but they’re just not clear about how to go about dealing with it, so we’re trying to provide some service for them to be able to find a way to do that.”
In the toolkit, businesses are first encouraged to set expectations by engaging employees in a process to identify their workplace’s needs.
“It’s about having that open conversation and talking about what are the things that we need to do to help people, and sometimes doing things like a work environment health survey really makes a big difference,” Koroscil says.
From there, employers need to create a supportive environment “where people really feel welcome and able to talk about mental and physical challenges, without the fear of being [judged] or any kind of reprisals”.
They also need to maintain those conversations to ensure the strategy doesn’t get “left on the shelf”.
OCC itself recently conducted its first survey on the work environment, asking employees about stress, work-life balance, and whether benefits were meeting their family’s needs. OCC is reporting the results back to staff, and plans to redo the survey each year, and monitor trends, to have a deeper understanding of its own workplace mental health.
Related stories:
How HR can create a vibrant, sustainable culture
How to resolve conflicts in a ‘toxic’ workplace
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Although 81 percent of employers in a recent Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) survey said they believe health and wellbeing is a good investment, only 40 percent have a mental health strategy - including just 35 percent of small businesses.
Large businesses were better equipped to deal with mental health issues: 76 percent have a formal strategy, as do 65 percent of medium-sized businesses.
Some employers were concerned about the cost, the scope of their responsibilities and privacy issues – while others simply didn’t know what to do, says OCC’s interim president Richard Koroscil.
OCC has created a toolkit, Working Towards Mental Wellness, to help businesses develop their own strategies and create a culture that supports the goal of a mentally healthy workplace – without any major costs.
“The problem in a lot of small enterprises is that they don’t have HR professionals within their organization,” Koroscil says.
“We see it as a big issue and I think the majority of our employers see it as an issue but they’re just not clear about how to go about dealing with it, so we’re trying to provide some service for them to be able to find a way to do that.”
In the toolkit, businesses are first encouraged to set expectations by engaging employees in a process to identify their workplace’s needs.
“It’s about having that open conversation and talking about what are the things that we need to do to help people, and sometimes doing things like a work environment health survey really makes a big difference,” Koroscil says.
From there, employers need to create a supportive environment “where people really feel welcome and able to talk about mental and physical challenges, without the fear of being [judged] or any kind of reprisals”.
They also need to maintain those conversations to ensure the strategy doesn’t get “left on the shelf”.
OCC itself recently conducted its first survey on the work environment, asking employees about stress, work-life balance, and whether benefits were meeting their family’s needs. OCC is reporting the results back to staff, and plans to redo the survey each year, and monitor trends, to have a deeper understanding of its own workplace mental health.
Related stories:
How HR can create a vibrant, sustainable culture
How to resolve conflicts in a ‘toxic’ workplace
Want the latest HR news direct to your inbox? Sign up for HRD Canada's daily newsletter.