WOODSTOCK - It is costing Canadians billions in workplace dollars a year.
“It’s huge thing when you look at the cost to employers for untreated
mental health issues,” said Christy Kent, a crisis outreach and
specialized service work. “Fifty-one billion is lost each year in
Canada.”
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, which is raising
awareness about the issue during Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month, in
any given week more than half a million Canadians will be absent from
work because they are struggling with mental health issues.
Seventy per cent of disability costs are related to mental illness,
and globally by the year 2020, it is predicted depression will rank
second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability.
“Stress, anxiety and mood disorders like depression are the most
common mental health problems that impact the workplace,” said Mark
Henick, program manager for Mental Health Works, a social enterprise of
CMHA. “It’s important for the employee to reach out and ask for help,
but its equally important for employers, managers and supervisors to
better understand mental health issues and develop approaches to
intervene at any stage of the problem.”
Untreated mental health issues can also lead to a condition called
presenteeism, which occurs when employees go to work with untreated
mental health issues because they are unaware of supports or won’t get
help due to stigma.
“They are not operating at their highest level of production,” Kent said.
Kent said dealing with the issue of workplace mental health “is something employers are slowly getting on board with.”
She recommends employers have literature available to their workers,
as well, employers are encouraged to have strategies in place to solve
conflicts, create an achievable workload, and help with their employees'
work/life balance.
“Having different strategies within the workplace is very important,” Kent said.
She also suggests workplace committees be put in place to deal with
issues surrounding mental illness, follow up issues and gathering
information and data.
Tips for employers, managers or supervisor (courtesy CMHA Ontario)
- Look for signs such as behaviour changes, consistent late arrivals or absences, decreased productivity or poor work.
- Talk about it with the employee to raise concerns and offer help. Beforehand find out what resources are available for the employees.
- Build comfort by minimizing stress not contributing to it. It’s important to talk about how the employee is valued before raising concerns. Be honest, upfront, professional and caring in your approach.
Tips for employees
- Talk to your doctor, because one in five people will experience a mental health problem this year but only one-third will seek help. Depression is treatable, and most people who receive the right supports recover fully.
- Connect with a professional counsellor because combining counselling with medical treatment is considered generally more effective than utilizing just one. A psychologist, a psychotherapist or a social worker has specialized training to help learn new coping skills.
- Reach out to those you trust because close personal connections are one of the most powerful, healing and protective tools to combat depression.
- Live well by exercising, getting enough sleep and healthy eating. Research shows that making a conscious choice to lead a healthier lifestyle — especially when you don’t feel like it — can boost your mood.
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