Mental Health Care in the Workplace Gets Louder
SnapClarity, an Ottawa-based e-mental health startup, is on a mission to help Canadians gain better access to mental health care.
A few weeks ago, the team hosted their first ever Working Minds #GetLouder event, with the support of Invest Ottawa and Kanata BIA. They brought together 110 members of Ottawa’s tech and startup community for an open discussion surrounding mental health care in the workplace. Considering that SnapClarity raised around $1,700 for DIFD at the Royal, an initiative raising awareness about youth mental health; it was a fairly successful evening.
Working Minds #GetLouder panels were comprised of a mix of leaders, mentors, and influencers from the Ottawa tech and startup community.
Throughout the evening, speakers shared their experience with mental health and how it has affected them both in their personal and professional life. They’re not alone, with 40% of Canadians reporting their mental health disrupts their life in some way, according to Global News; it’s important we keep the conversation going to reduce stigma.
Why Workplace Mental Health Care Matters
We spend a lot of our waking hours at work. A positive work environment can improve mental health by giving people a sense of contribution and belonging. However, a negative environment can gravely worsen and sometimes trigger a mental illness.
According to the Mental Health Commision of Canada, “mental health problems and illnesses among working adults in Canada cost employers more than $6 billion in lost productivity from absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover.”
The staggering impact of mental illness is amplified in the startup ecosystem where work is increasingly fast-paced and demanding. Tight deadlines are common and employees often work outside of the typical 9–5 hours. To keep up with these high expectations, people try to hide any mental illness in fear of being seen as unfit for the job.
Erin Blaskie, a panelist from the Working Minds #GetLouder event, shared her thoughts on the matter as she reflected on her experience as an entrepreneur:
“Entrepreneurship put me in a position where [I felt] clients may view me as less than, or excuse me, “weak’.”
Masking mental illness can lead to people neglecting treatment and avoiding any time-off until they experience burn out. However, what we’re masking is “just part of the human experience” according to Jennifer Thake, Clinical Lead at SnapClarity. Meaning it’s normal to experience anxiety, stress, depression, and other forms of mental illness and we shouldn’t be labelled as ‘crazy’ when we do. By talking about our human experiences we can start to free ourselves from the stigma that surrounds it and seek treatment. So how do we start conversations?
It Starts with Leadership
Leadership in any workplace setting can greatly impact employee mental health, creating a safe space and welcome space gives employees room to speak up. Eli Brown, Founder of Shine The Light On, shares his advice on how to encourage others to come forward:
“If you share your story with someone, they’re far more likely to be open and vulnerable with you. It’s a two way street”
You can learn more about Eli Brown’s story here.
By taking the first step and actively promoting mental health care, leaders set a precedent that it’s safe for employees to come forward and seek the help they need. Leaders can empower their employees through:
- Sharing personal stories — Sharing a personal experience people can relate to reduces much of the stigma and encourages employees to do the same.
- Encouraging self-care — Setting boundaries around working overtime and on the weekends helps employees take breaks, recharge, and avoid burnout.
- Making resources available — Offering time off or giving access to services makes it much easier for employees to seek the help they need which they might delay if they didn’t know about these services otherwise.
As a Working Minds #GetLouder attendee, I witnessed this precedent first hand. Thanks to their vulnerability and confidence in their ability to share their personal experiences, the networking session that followed was open, filled with empathy, and relief. Here’s what some attendees had to say:
“…There’s something incredibly cleansing about sharing your story (and oh so relieving to hear others). I celebrate this initiative and encourage everyone to #GetLouder” — Emily Pasons (@em_parsons)
“When’s the last time we were honest about our tough days & struggles?” says Kara Eusebio (@kbeuseb).
Working Minds highlighted the real hardships that come with building a business and working for a startup. Not romanticizing the experience is a key step in raising awareness around mental health.
How SnapClarity can Help
Working Minds will be hosted again next year and I look forward to more open and honest conversations that strengthen the Ottawa startup and tech community. I’m grateful to SnapClarity for leading by example when it comes to inspiring positive change around mental health care in the workplace.
Beyond building a community to foster positive change, SnapClarity’s main focus, like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, is to make mental health care more accessible.
SnapClarity is a powerful addition to a company’s employee resources and services, especially in fast-paced environments since the app is easy to get started with. Once someone signs up, they fill out a free assessment and based on their results they get matched with a therapist. Users can then text, call, or video chat about their mental health whenever their schedule permits.
Right now, SnapClarity is offering a free month of therapy for 100 people. Anyone can sign-up, get matched with a therapist based on potential areas of concerns, and get access to quality therapy.
Do you know someone who’s in need of mental health care? Share the gift of a free month’s therapy with them.
It’s time we start treating mental health care like physical health care. You can do your part right now by sharing your experience on Twitter using the #GetLouder hashtag!
