Mental Health in the Work Place

Hopefully you are already aware that today is Bell Let’s Talk Day. All over social media today you will find people sharing and tweeting with the #BellLetsTalk hash tag. Bell Canada will be donating 5 cents for each share, tweet or retweet using the hash tag on January 28th. The main idea behind this day is to get people talking about mental illness. Sharing stories of their own struggles or supporting a friend who is. Ending the stigma against mental illness and getting help for all those suffering being the ultimate goal.

 

A large aspect of mental health in adults is how their work lives affect their mental health. As employers we need to be conscious of our legal and social responsibilities related to mental illness. “Mental health is a significant business issue that requires the attention of organizations. People who experience mental health issues face incredible challenges in the workplace. Many are misunderstood, shunned and underutilized,” said Karla Thorpe, Associate Director, Compensation and Industrial Relations at the Conference Board of Canada. “In a world where shortages of critical skills are top of mind for many organizations, employers cannot afford to allow this situation to continue.”

Take some time today to consider your company policy on mental health. Does your company even have a policy on mental health? Working to build a policy or revising an outdated policy can help you see how healthy your workplace is from a mental health perspective. Increased productivity and avoiding liabilities are only a few of the benefits from having a mentally healthy workplace.

Don’t expect to start and finish this today. Creating a mentally healthy workplace is an ongoing effort. Staying educated and current will keep you up to date and potentially save your employees from suffering in silence.

With the amazing resources out there you are not alone as an employer. Many agencies can help you make sure your doing your part to create a mentally healthy workplace.

Check out http://www.mentalhealthworks.ca/ , http://ontario.cmha.ca/ and http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/human-rights-and-mental-health-fact-sheet for more information on mental health in the workplace.

 

And don’t forget to use the #BellLetsTalk hash tag.