Why Mental Health Care in the Workplace Matters
Ever called in sick at work because of your mental health? According to CAMH, at least 500,000 Canadian employees call in sick due to their mental illness in any given week.
“Most Canadians work and most of us spend more time at work with colleagues than we do at home with our families. It can be impactful in a positive or harmful way” — Ed Mantler, vice-president of programs and priorities at the Mental Health Commission of Canada via Global News.
A report by the Conference Board of Canada listed depression and anxiety as the source of $32.2 billion dollars lost per year. A staggering amount that does not include the $17.3 billion a year lost in forgone GDP due to loss in productivity.
While complex, the relation between stress and mental illness has been discussed time and time again. According to Statistics Canada, “employees who considered their jobs stressful were 3 times more likely to experience a major depressive episode, compared to those who reported low levels of general stress”. It is a fact: Stress can exacerbate mental illness.
How mental illness affects us at work
People who are experiencing difficulty with their mental health may have a harder time concentrating and accomplishing their daily tasks, to the point that they may begin to doubt their abilities. Mental illness does not just affect productivity, it also has an impact on workplace relationships; making people appear withdrawn or behave in unexpected ways (CMHA).
“Stress has been so ubiquitous in the marketplace for so long that it’s often not brought up as a mental health issue, but of course it is” — Mark Henick, program manager at Mental Health Works, via CBC
With a total potential loss of approximately $50 billion a year in Canada, there is no denying that mental illness can impact more than just our personal lives. While only 17% of Canadians report taking time off work and school, the signs are all there: millions of dollars are spent every year on absenteeism, presenteeism, and sick days.
Stigma in the workplace
Mental illness in the workplace is often misunderstood. Taking too many sick days is usually negatively perceived, in some cases leading to misplaced anger between co-workers and supervisors.
64% of Ontario workers would be concerned about how work would be affected if a colleague had a mental illness (CAMH)
Mark Henick of Mental Health Works, a program that attempts to train managers and co-workers to recognize mental health issues among their peers and recommend treatment options; agrees. Managers and company owners still consider mental health issues much too personal (Noakes, S).
Despite pushback, the benefits of creating a psychologically healthy and safe workplace outweigh any self-perceived negatives. Promoting mental well-being without judgement keeps employees feeling (and being) competent for the long term.
References
- Chai, C. (2017, May 05). 500,000 Canadians miss work each week due to mental health concerns. Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/3424053/500000-canadians-miss-work-each-week-due-to-mental-health-concerns/
- Mental Illness in the Workplace. (2017, August 29). Retrieved from https://cmha.ca/resources/mental-illness-in-the-workplace
- Noakes, S. (2015, November 03). How employers can reduce the staggering cost of mental illness in the workplace | CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/mental-illness-workplace-1.3295242
- Social Development Canada. (2018, April 30). Mental health in the workplace. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/health-safety/mental-health.html
