Did you know that the cost of mental health problems and illnesses to the Canadian economy is reported to be at least $51 billion a year? In an average week, mental health issues caused 500,000 Canadians to miss work.
When we think about health and safety in the workplace we sometimes only think about physical health. Mental health is generally not top of mind. Mental health issues in the workplace affects the value of a business.
Every employer has felt the impact of mental health problem through absenteeism, lost productivity and high turnover however, in most cases they have not implemented a mental health workplace strategy.
When we are not well it affects everything we do – at home and at work. For business owners it affects the value of their business and can delay deals when purchasers do their due diligence.
Strategies for Small Business
Many business have trouble addressing the mental health concerns of their employees. The issues are often viewed as time consuming and outside their area of expertise.
The starting point is the creation of an effective workplace plan that includes specific and measurable solutions to workplace issues such as
- Performance
- Working Relationships
- Accommodation
As employee benefit advisors we saw a need to help business owners address this problem. Fortunately, we found Julie Holden a Canadian Mental Health Association Certified Psychological health and Safety Advisor. Julie has many years of experience and works with employers to help navigate the world of absence and disability management strategies and workplace mental health.
Together with Julie, we audit the employers benefit plan to find evidence of mental health issues in the company, uncover hidden liabilities and use this information to provide a detailed report and plan of action and education for the employer.
To borrow the phrase from BELL’s annual mental health awareness campaign – Let’s Talk – we can help.
Request a free initial consultation.