Most organizations have zero tolerance for workplace injuries yet do little to prevent issues that contribute to mental illness. Despite the release of the National Standards for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the standards) in 2013, many organizations have taken little if any action to implement the report recommendations. In our pre-session survey, 64% of respondents had not taken any decisive actions; in spite of 91% believing that workplace stress is having a negative impact on employee productivity; and 81% believing workplace stress has contributed to employees voluntarily leaving the organization.

“One third of employees have been diagnosed with a mental health condition and another third have shown symptoms of mental health condition.” These were just a few of the findings of a recent Morneau Shepell national survey of employees, employers and physicians presented by Dani Savell, Program Manager at Shepell during our March 19th lunch session. Employers really need to be paying attention to this issue as mental illness is becoming the number one driver of disability costs in the workplace. Savell stated that “Employees see a clear role for the employer in influencing the impact of stress on them.” The survey indicated that employees are less stressed, have fewer absences and higher engagement at organizations which exhibit a high level of psychological health and safety. So, there’s clearly a business value to having a mentally healthy workplace.

One of the biggest barriers to improving mental health in the workplace is the stigma that still exists. Many employees don’t seek help because they are embarrassed or afraid. Seventy-one percent indicated concerns of workplace stigma; one survey respondent went so far as to say that “Mental health is a carer ender at my organization.” Shockingly, more than half (53%) indicated concerns of stigma from their own physician; and one in five employees believe that whether someone is mentally ill is within their control.

How are employers performing? Employers tend overestimate how well they are doing. The biggest gaps between employers and employees perceptions of performance are in the areas of respect, work-life balance and recognition.

What can employers do to improve psychological health and safety in the workplace? They need to take an active approach to improving workplace mental health and reducing stigma. Physicians indicated the most impactful action employers can take is communication and support as well as counselling and guidance. Reduced workload and time-off were actually at the bottom of the list of physicians’ recommendations. Other recommendations were more open listening, well trained supervisors, conflict resolution processes and that employees must also take ownership of their own health.

How can organizations integrate a mental health strategy into their business:
• Target – self-stigma and co-worker stigma
• Assess – psychological health and safety
• Recognize – incorporate scorecards and ongoing metrics

We also had the pleasure of getting an insider’s perspective from Jan Leighton, Manager of Health and Industrial Hygiene at TransCanada, an organization that has a long history of implementing programs which support a psychologically healthy workplace. Jan indicated that a few of the reasons TransCanada has made a mentally healthy workplace a priority is that mental health is the number one contributor of long term disability claims and number two contributor of short term disability (STD) claims at the organization. She also indicated that 35% of STD mental claims had a direct workplace contributor.

So what has TransCanada done? Some of their more formal programs to combat workplace stress and mental health date back to 2003. Since then other programs and initiatives have been implemented at least every couple of years if not more frequently, dealing with stress and change management, work-life balance, thriving under pressure and developing leadership awareness tools and resources. TransCanada’s commitment to workplace safety includes mental illness and publishes a weekly safety employee communication on everything from jaywalking and mental health issues.

While more attention has recently been placed on workplace mental health, many employers still have a long way to go to improving the level of psychological health and safety in their organizations.

-Kenneth MacDonald