Recent studies have shown that there is a high return on investment (ROI) for Canadian companies investing in mental health initiatives. With an average ROI of $1.62 for every $1 invested, even going as high as $2.18 for ever $1 after three years. Brandie Weikle’s article Workplace mental health programs deliver healthier bottom line completes an in-depth analysis of Deloitte’s Director of Sustainability and Social Impact, Sarah Chapman, latest findings. Regarding the benefits of investing in mental health, what proactive initiatives include, available assessment tools, and much more. Chapman’s research is not overly surprising, of course there is a correlation between happy employees being productive employees. In turn, creating a better work environment for everyone! As a whole, this article is very informative and well-written. Where it could be improved is if it went into further detail about the different capabilities of what big business verse small business can do to aid employee’s mental wellbeing. In this post I offer one short-term and one long-term solution to the mental health crisis that Canada faces, the first being having small business managers trained in mental health first aid and the second being having the government make mental health strategies mandatory for all Canadian businesses.
The primary issue being discussed by Weikle is as previously mentioned; Canadian companies investing in proactive mental health initiatives/mental wellness programs will see positive impacts on business. Proactive initiative encourages employees to participate in activates such as exercise and meditation. This is needed because approximately 500,000 Canadian a week cannot work, as a direct result of poor or deteriorating mental health. Equating up to $50 billion lost a year. Making it evident that Canada is facing a significant obstacle, yet unfortunately only one-third of Canadian companies have any executed mental health strategies! When investing in mental health program companies must consider aspects such as how to integrate employees back into the work force after taking mental health breaks, how to train individuals on mental health essentials, why all of this is important and much more. However, this is not as daunting as it may seem because companies do not have to come up with these various strategies on their own. The Mental Health Commission of Canada has generated a baseline framework for organizations to utilize called, The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. I participated in the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Mental Health First-Aid certificate and I can say from personal experience how useful their guidelines and practices are in real-life mental health crisis’s!
Determining how different interested companies approach this problem is what I am interested in and where my short-term solution comes in. Deloitte surveyed 10 companies for their research, but how many workers do these companies employ? Large corporations have more financial capital to put towards such initiatives, but there are many small and medium sized businesses with fewer capabilities that also want to invest in employee’s mental health. Some even suggest that mental health should be a higher priority for small companies mainly because they cannot have employees not working at their full potential (Smith, 2017). As small business employees are much less expendable. Smith suggests having small business managers be trained in mental health first aid, so that they are able to successfully recognize the signs of poor mental health within employees. On this, I would recommend that such managers be obligated to take the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Mental Health First-Aid certificate which I noted above. This would be a short-term yet effective step that businesses with less financial capital to invest in mental health could take, in order to display their commitment to the issue and their employees.
To take it one step further, a long-term solution would be to have the Ontario or Canadian government make it mandatory for all companies to have some form of mental health strategies integrated into their business model. A proposal like this would be complex and could be difficult to manage, nonetheless it is necessary. I would advise executing this in steps; firstly, making all strategies voluntary for all businesses. This would give companies time to experiment and figure out a framework that works best for their employees. After 5-10 years, all strategies would be made mandatory and legally binding. Companies would be subject to monetary fines if they did not cooperate. The government would then issue as taskforce, which would audit businesses mental health frameworks to ensure that all Canadians are protected under the law. Every few years companies’ strategies would have to be reassessed by the taskforce and updated if required.
In terms of employment relations, these solutions will ensure that employees have a confident relationship with their employers. Employees will feel valued and know that their employer is someone or an institution that they can depend on. This would ensure that less Canadians are missing work because of mental health complications. It has been made evident that these kinds of investments are good for business as well, as the article states, “Some things make good human sense and business sense. This is one of them.” To conclude, there are countless standards regarding the physical health and safety of workers in Canada, and it is time for there to be just as many regulations monitoring mental health. This would be in the best interest of employees and business, a win-win scenario!
References
Smith, S. (2017, September). Small Companies Must Take the Mental Health of Workers More Seriously. Retrieved March 2020, from https://www.ehstoday.com/health/article/21919284/small-companies-must-take-the-mental-health-of-workers-more-seriously
Weikle, B. (2019, November 7). Workplace mental health programs deliver healthier bottom lines | CBC News. Retrieved March 2020, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/workplace-mental-health-programs-deliver-good-roi-1.5346872?__vfz=medium=sharebar
Sydney Wade 