Workplace Mental Health

Workplaces can play an essential part in maintaining positive mental health for workers.

They can give people the opportunity to feel productive and be a strong contributor to employee wellbeing. Yet the workplace can also be a stressful environment that contributes to the rise of mental health problems and illnesses. No workplace is immune from these risks and we cannot afford to limit our definition of occupational health and safety to only the physical.

Workplace mental health strategy

By having a workplace mental health strategy, you are setting guidelines and parameters for your workplace in order to create and sustain a psychologically healthy and safe organization for all employees.

A workplace mental health strategy:

• Mobilizes everyone in the organization toward a common goal for a healthy, safe and successful workplace
• Builds on the existing foundation
• Equips and supports managers to work in a psychologically healthy and safe way
• Involves workers in creating and sustaining a healthy workplace culture
• Systematically integrates psychological health and safety into how business is done
• Ensures that systems are in place to support effective training and programs
• Has a greater potential for ROI and improvements in meeting organizational goals.

Deloitte Workplace Mental Health Report

There is also a business case to be made to invest in psychological health and safety in the workplace. In a 2019 study conducted by Deloitte, a key insight was revealed “Invest in proactive programs that promote positive mental health in addition to treatment—this means going beyond delivering interventions for poor mental health to also promote positive mental health and well-being” (The ROI in workplace mental health programs: Good for people, good for business, Deloitte, 2019).

The report went on to state “Mental health programs are more likely to achieve positive ROI when they support employees along the entire spectrum of mental health, from promotion of well-being to intervention and care, as well as the elimination or reduction of workplace hazards that could psychologically harm an employee.”

To read this report, please click here.

Opening Minds Workplace Mental Health Program

The Opening Minds Workplace Mental Health program is in place to help organizations navigate the development and execution of an effective and sustainable workplace mental health strategy. By engaging with employers, executive leadership teams and staff of all levels, this process is designed to build or improve on any strategies that may already be in place. The Workplace Mental Health program is a four-step process:

Step #1 – Engaging senior leadership for success

Step #2 – Involving workers

Step #3 – Building psychological health and safety into operations and organizational culture

Step #4 – Evaluating the effectiveness of the system and improving

Potential benefits to a healthy and safe organization:

• Increase attendance and productivity
• Decrease amount of workplace conflict
• Lower amount of turnover
• Improve retention
• Lower disability claims

If you are interested in learning more about this service or believe it is something that could benefit your organization, please fill out the form below and someone from the Workplace Mental Health team will be in touch.

Workplace Resources

Temporary Work at Home Ergonomics Guideline

CHECKLIST: Are you creating balance during a pandemic?

Health and Safety Information Guide and Checklist

Simple strategies to restore business to an acceptable level

Social Stigma and COVID-19: Protecting Your Workers. Interview with Dr. Keith Dobson

For more Covid-19 related resources please visit our Covid-19 resource page.

The Working Mind training

Mental Health First Aid