October 15, 2015 – Mental Health Commission releases Interim Report on the Implementation of National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace

Gatineau, QC – The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) today released the Early Findings Interim Report of the Case Study Research Project examining the implementation of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (Standard).

To better understand how workplaces across Canada are implementing the Standard, the MHCC, with generous support from the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, Lundbeck and the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnership Program – Disability Component, initiated a three-year Case Study Research Project in February 2014 to follow over 40 organizations.  Preliminary key findings include:

• Participating organizations have achieved 65% of the specified elements in The Standard at the interim phase in the project;
• 90% of the participating organizations noted “Protecting the psychological health of employees” as the top reason for implementing the Standard, followed by “Right thing to do”, cited by 85% of the organizations;
• “Managing costs” and “Limiting liability” were low in the list of reasons; given by organizations for implementing the Standard;
• Organizations increasingly use important sources of data such as absenteeism rates (74%), EAP utilization (85%), and short- and long-term disability rates (72%), etc., to assess employee psychological health;
• 80% of participating organizations have reviewed/updated their policies to include psychological health and safety in the workplace and 67% report having a policy statement focused on psychological health and safety; and,
• More than 60% of organizations are taking actions to create respectful workplaces, enhance psychological health and safety knowledge among workers, support work-life balance, provide stress management training, and build resilience among workers.

“This week, 500,000 Canadians will not make it to work because of a mental health problem or illness. By 2041, the cost of lost productivity due to mental illness is estimated to be $16 billion every year;” said Mental Health Commission President and CEO Louise Bradley, adding, “by improving the management of mental health in the workplace productivity losses can be decreased by as much as 30%, I am pleased that the work of this study is validating the principle outlined in the Standard.”

The Early Findings Interim Report was released in Gatineau at the Conference Board of Canada’s better workplace conference.

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ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION OF CANADA

Guided by Changing Directions, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) is a catalyst for improving the mental health system and changing the attitudes and behaviours of Canadians around mental health – at home, work, and school, as well as with the media and healthcare providers – from coast to coast to coast. Through its unique mandate from Health Canada, the Commission is Canada’s coordinating agent, bringing together the best and most influential minds in the mental health community. The MHCC is collaborating with hundreds of partners towards a mental health system that is inclusive, adaptable, and supports Canadians living with mental health problems and mental illnesses in their recovery journey. Together we accelerate change needed to transform Canada’s mental health system and the wellbeing of all.
www.mentalhealthcommission.ca

Media Contact:
Patti Robson, Director of Marketing and Communications
Mental Health Commission of Canada
Office: 613.683.3742
Mobile: 613.282.1573
probson@mentalhealthcommission.ca

 

 

Backgrounder

Case Study Research Project

Early Findings Interim Report

 

The Issue

Workplaces play an essential role in maintaining the positive mental health of employees. Workplace culture, management practices, and the way decisions are made and communicated can contribute to a psychologically healthy and safe work environment. A psychologically healthy and safe workplace is one that actively works to prevent harm to workers’ psychological health, including negligent, reckless, or intentional ways, and that promotes psychological well-being.^[1]

Workplaces can also be a stressful environment that contribute to the rise of mental health problems and illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. No workplace is immune from the risk of mental health problems, regardless of size, sector, or specialization. We know that one out of every four or five employees is affected by a mental health problem every year.^[2] A 2008 Canadian Medical Association study found that only 23 per cent of Canadians would feel comfortable talking to their employer about a mental illness.^[3] This suggests that the number of people affected by mental health issues is likely higher than official tallies due to a significant proportion of individuals suffering in silence.

Growing Concerns, Rising Costs

A 2012 Ipsos Reid survey found that seven in ten Canadian employees surveyed reported some degree of concern with psychological health and safety in their workplace. Mental health problems and illnesses are the number one cause of disability in Canada, estimated to account for nearly 30 per cent of disability claims and 70 per cent of the total costs.^[4] Of the $51 billion economic cost each year attributed to mental illness in Canada, a staggering $20 billion stems from workplace losses.^[5]

With most adults spending more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, addressing mental health is vitally important for all Canadians. Mental health is a crucial piece of workplace health and safety and it can no longer be ignored or overlooked.

The National Standard on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (Standard)

Championed by the MHCC and developed by the Canadian Standards Association and the Bureau de normalisation du Québec, the Standard is a voluntary set of guidelines, tools, and resources focused on promoting employee psychological health and preventing psychological harm due to workplace factors. The Standard is supplemented by Assembling the Pieces: An Implementation Guide to the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, a step-by-step guide to help employers navigate through the Standard in their workplace. It is geared toward senior leaders, human resource managers, and occupational health and safety professionals. The guide is comprised of four key steps to implementation: building the foundation, identifying opportunities, setting objectives, and implementation.

The Case Study Research Project^[6]

In February 2014, the MHCC launched a three-year, national Case Study Research Project to better understand how workplaces across Canada are implementing the Standard. The goals of this project are to monitor progress, identify promising practices, as well as challenges and barriers to implementation, and develop tools that will enhance adoption of the Standard across Canada.

This report is a summary of early findings at the mid-point of the project. They reflect data collection at two points in time: baseline and interim.

This report outlines progress-to-date of the 41 participating organizations, as well as barriers to implementation, and key promising practices. It synthesizes the experiences and discoveries of these pioneers, to support other Canadian employers to embark on their journey.

Within the report, we have highlighted a sample of the case study organizations to showcase their experiences and successes to-date. We hope these spotlights highlight the various ways in which an organization can take action towards implementing the Standard.

This project would not be possible without the continued support, commitment, and participation of the 41 organizations who have allowed the MHCC to follow their journey with the Standard.

Participating Organizations at Interim	Partial or Full dissemination	Potential Number of Employees Impacted by Implementation
AGS Rehab Opportunities	Full	49
Alberta Health Services	Full	100,000
Alberta New Home Warranty Program	Full	50
Bernardi Law	Full	11
Bell Canada	Partial	36,000
Belmont Health & Wealth	Full	30
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety	Full	84
Canadian Mental Health Association – Toronto Branch	Full	300
Canadian Security Intelligence Service	Full	3,400
Carleton University	Full	2,000
County of Frontenac	Full	400
Douglas Mental Health University Institute	Full	1,158
Enbridge Gas Distribution	Full	2,300
Garden City Family Health Team	Full	53
Great-West Life	Full	11,000
Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia	Full	9
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit	Full	2,300
Health Association of Nova Scotia	Full	100
Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia	Full	112
Lakeridge Health	Full	5,288
Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors	Full	2,100
Manulife	Partial	750
Mount Sinai Hospital	Full	4,500
Nova Scotia Health Authority – Cape Breton District Health Authority Pilot Site	Full	60
Nova Scotia Health Authority – Capital District Health Authority Pilot Site	Full	11,000
Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union	Full	60
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences	Full	1,200
Pickering Public Library	Partial	64
Provincial Health Services Authority	Partial	4,000
Province of Nova Scotia	Full	11,000
RCMP – Division C	Partial	1,300
Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver	Full	75
Regional Municipality of York	Full	3,000
Region of Peel	Full	5,500
Regina Mental Health Clinic	Full	60
Rogers Communication	Full	29,300
The Royal Ottawa HealthCare Group	Full	1,500
The Scarborough Hospital	Full	3,100
Toronto East General Hospital	Full	2,500
Unifor	Full	500
Via Rail	Partial	400

[1] ^{CSA Group, CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ 9700-803/2013 Psychological health and safety in the workplace – Prevention, promotion, and guidance to staged implementation (csa.ca/z1003)}

[2] ^{MHCC, Opening Minds: Interim Report, p.5. https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/resource/opening-minds-interim-report/}

[3] ^{Canadian Medical Association. (2008). 8th Annual National Report Card on Healthcare.}

[4] ^{Mental Health Commission of Canada. Changing Directions, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada. (2012). http://strategy.mentalhealthcommission.ca/pdf/strategy-text-en.pdf.}

[5] ^{Mental Health Commission of Canada. Making the Case for Investing in Mental Health in Canada. (2013). https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/resource/strengthening-the-case-for-investing-backgrounder/}

[6] To protect the confidentiality of the participating organizations and employees in the project, no identifying or personal information was collected, beyond the contact information for the key assigned contacts. All information collected in the course of the project is kept at a secured Canadian server. Only aggregate results are reported, unless explicit consent is provided by a participating organization. All participants have the right to withdraw from the study at any time.