Centring Diversity for Workplace Equity Conference Sarika Gundu National Director, Workplace Mental Health Program July 10 th,

Presentation Overview 1.CMHA 2.Workplace Stats 3.National Standard on Psychological Health and Safety 4.Accommodation 5.Resources and Tools 2

Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) 3 Our Vision: Mentally healthy people in a healthy society. Our Mission: As the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health, CMHA facilitates access to the resources people require to maintain and improve mental health and community integration, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness.  Founded in 1918 and is one of Canada’s oldest not-for- profit organizations  We have more than 10,000 staff and volunteers in over 120 communities across Canada  CMHA provides vital services and support to well over half a million Canadians every year

The Stats 4 The time for action is NOW! In any given year, one in five people in Canada experiences a mental health problem or illness, with a cost to the economy of well in excess of $50 billion. (1) Mental health problems and illnesses typically account for approximately 30 per cent of short- and long-term disability claims. (2)(3) Mental health problems and illnesses are rated one of the top three drivers of both short- and long-term disability claims by more than 80 per cent of Canadian employers. (4) In 2010, mental health conditions were responsible for 47 per cent of all approved disability claims in the federal civil service, almost double the percentage of twenty years earlier. (5)

National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard) 5 National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard) Championed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), and developed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) and the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ), the Standard is a voluntary set of guidelines, tools and resources focused on promoting employees’ psychological health and preventing psychological harm due to workplace factors.

Have you read the Standard? 6

The Standard 7 Simply Good Business Mental health in the workplace is an issue that impacts all workplaces and can no longer be ignored. Keeping the workforce healthy and productive is simply smart business and good for the bottom line. Adopting the Standard Can Help Your Organization With: Productivity Financial performance Risk management Organizational recruitment Employee retention “It’s time to start thinking about mental wellbeing in the same way as we consider physical wellbeing, and the Standard offers the framework needed to help make this happen in the workplace.” – Louise Bradley, President & CEO, MHCC

The Standard 8 Simply Good Business Mental health in the workplace is an issue that impacts all workplaces and can no longer be ignored. Keeping the workforce healthy and productive is simply smart business and good for the bottom line. Adopting the Standard Can Help Your Organization With: Productivity Financial performance Risk management Organizational recruitment Employee retention “It’s time to start thinking about mental wellbeing in the same way as we consider physical wellbeing, and the Standard offers the framework needed to help make this happen in the workplace.” – Louise Bradley, President & CEO, MHCC

Improving Mental Health in the workplace relies on 3 pillars of success: 9 1) Leadership commitment can be obtained through educating and training leaders about the importance of workplace mental health and about the current mental health landscape of the federal government. This information will provide a strong understanding as to why implementing the Standard is critical, valuable and the right thing to do in any and every workplace. 2) Employee Engagement and Collaboration: Implementing the Standard involves a commitment from everyone in the workplace. Engaging and collaborating with employees can provide valuable insight and feedback about the workplace that can better strengthen the implementation outcome. 3) Effective and continuous communication will help manage expectations about the Standard. It can also prevent and clarify any confusion or assumptions that may be associated with the Standard.

The P6 Framework 10 organizational commitment Policy determine health indicators Planning positive psychological health Promotion psychological characteristics of work tasks Prevention evaluation of implementation and results Process continuous improvement Persistence

13 Psychosocial factors that create a psychologically safe workplace. 11

Accommodation 12 The severity of mental illnesses can vary from person to person. Two people can be diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder but may require different accommodations. It is important to discuss how you as a manager can best support them. Remember you’re their manager not their health care professional. Create a psychologically safe and healthy workplace: Equip employees with the tools and resources to support themselves and their co-workers. Build Trust: If an employee has shared with you that they have a mental illness be sure they can trust you with such information. With stigma very prevalent in the workplace, it is very important that your employee feels comfortable about revealing such information. Communicate: Ask them about what they need from you to be successful in their role and discuss what you need from them to be successful in their role. Work together on a solution that will support the employee to meet their assigned duties. Ask how their illness and symptoms might impact their work. This information is helpful when creating an effective accommodation plan. Be sure to stay calm and relaxed when communicating with your employee.

Accommodation 13 Keep in mind that accommodations may change over time and there is not a one- size- fits- all solution. Be sure to touch base regularly with your employee to understand how the accommodations are working out for them. Helpful questions can sound like this: “Help me understand your condition” “What is the impact of your condition on your work” Employees with bipolar disorder, Lupus, MS and any other illness that experience episodic symptoms may require certain accommodations in the workplace to better manage their condition and work. Below are some common yet effective accommodations to consider. Flexible work hours Adjustable workloads Work from home option Job sharing options

Resources and Tools 14

Consider this…. 15

References 16 (1) Sairanen, S., Matzanke, D., & Smeall, D. (2011). The business case: Collaborating to help employees maintain their mental well-being. Healthcare Papers, 11, 78–84. (2) Sairanen, S., Matzanke, D., & Smeall, D. (2011). The business case: Collaborating to help employees maintain their mental well-being. Healthcare Papers, 11, 78–84. (3) Towers, Watson. (2012). Pqthway to health and productivity. 2011/2012 survey report. North America. Retrieved from Work-Report.pdf. (4) Butler, Don, (2011, June 28). “PS disability claims soaring.” Ottawa Citizen. (5) Smetanin, P., Stiff, D., Briante, C., Adair, C., Ahmad, S., & Khan, M. (2011). The life and economic impact of major mental illnesses in Canada: 2011 to RiskAnalytica, on behalf of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Thank You! 17