Dealing with mental health issues at work

Mental health-related problems are now the leading cause of workplace disability and represent 15% of all illnesses in Canada.[1]One in five Canadians will be personally affected by mental health during their lifetime.[2]Taking these rather alarming figures into account, it is imperative to act for the well-being of your employees and, by extension, your organization.

What can you do as an employer to prevent this scourge in your workplace?

Focus on reducing the STRESS of your employees by putting the human aspect first. The economic repercussions are significant when we observe that stress represents 19% of the costs linked to absenteeism and 40% of the costs of staff turnover.[3]

Studies seem to show that the workplace can play a crucial role in prevention. Here are three suggestions that you could quickly implement for this purpose:

1. Opt for onetransformational leadership, close to people (empathetic), and collaborate in their development while empowering them;(To find out more, I suggest you reread the article by one of the co-founders, Médina Cayer, on “How to become an exceptional leader”)
2. Arouse himsense of belongingof your employees by bringing your vision, your mission, your objectives and your values ​​to life on a daily basis (To find out more, I invite you to reread my articlesur“Mobilization in 5 essential and simple factors”)
3. Practice itdaily recognition(To find out more, I invite you to rereadMédina Cayer’s article on “The 9 principles of recognition”)

By developing a feeling of trust and allowing regular exchanges, you will undoubtedly notice a reduction in your absenteeism rate. Employees will feel understood and supported, and they will thus be able to be freed from the unnecessary stress that was overwhelming them in order to perform up to their ambitions.

It is by opening the discussion and taking concrete action that we can make a difference and make these taboos disappear. It is also by being aware of the symptoms and acting together that we will be able to find solutions to counter this epidemic. Mental health is a subject that concerns us all, and it is up to us to make a difference to avoid worsening.

SOURCES:

[1] Bell Let’s Talk[Online].https://cause.bell.ca/fr/journee-bell-cause-pour-la-cause(Page consulted on January 15, 2020).
[2] Douglas Foundation[Online].https://fondationdouglas.qc.ca/la-sante-mentale/(Page consulted on January 15, 2020).
[3] Management Review, HEC Montreal, Fall 2019,How to avoid burnout, volume 44, number 3, p. 104 to 107.