This year marks Benefits Canada’s fifth annual Mental Health Issue, an initiative introduced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic as employers ramped up their focus on this crucial topic.
It hasn’t slowed down since. In fact, I’d argue employers’ attention to creating thoughtful and relevant mental-health resources and support for employees will continue its unremitting advancement. As we put 2025 (arguably the worst year since the pandemic) behind us, it’s clear economic uncertainty will endure, due to the rise of anti-globalization and anti-democratic movements around the world. The focus on mental health isn’t going anywhere.
Considering the economic environment, this issue’s Head to Head question asked whether employers are responsible for the mental health of employees during the cost-of-living crisis. One of the respondents, McMaster University’s Rebecca Gewurtz, reinforces that it’s more important than ever for employers to continue to invest in employee mental health, as well as psychological health and safety. She touts research that found a significant return on investment in the form of lower turnover, higher intent to stay with an employer, improved productivity and lower rates of absenteeism and sick leave.
While the other respondent, the Canadian Psychological Association’s Dr. Lisa Votta-Bleeker, doesn’t disagree, she also highlights the shared responsibility between employers and employees. She makes the point that employers can do more to provide adequate mental-health coverage to their employees (the CPA recommends between $3,000-4,000 per year), but she also suggests there are ways for employees to be proactive in addressing their own mental health outside of the workplace.
Read: How Pratt & Whitney’s winning mental-health program supports employees, strengthens leadership
Looking at one standout workplace example, this month’s Employer Strategy profiles Pratt & Whitney Canada, a double 2025 Workplace Benefits Awards winner. The organization’s mental-health strategy, which was developed alongside a broader health and wellness program, is “grounded in the full wellbeing continuum of prevention, detection and support,” says Fannie Jacques, its vice-president of human resources. In particular, she highlights that the program isn’t static; instead, it’s intentionally designed as a living system that evolves alongside the organization and its workforce.
From a corporate perspective, Pratt & Whitney Canada is one of many employers setting standout examples through their mental-health commitment and duty of care. But taking it more broadly, many countries are also stepping up to modernize their workplace health and safety regulations to ensure mental-health hazards are aligned with physical ones.
This month’s Lessons from Abroad shows how Australia is leading the way in the global movement to enhance rules around psychosocial hazards in the workplace to align with physical safety hazards. The approach is about assessing risk and having an action plan to identify and address hazards, says Safe Work Australia’s Marie Boland.
Read: A look at Australia’s approach to psychosocial risk management in the workplace
“[It] leverages employers’ existing [workplace health and safety] processes and knowledge to manage psychosocial hazards, reinforcing that workers’ psychological health is equally important as physical health.”
Even more widely, the Benefits Feature looks at mental health through a women’s lens, considering a lifecycle approach that encompasses the fertility years and the impact of caregiving responsibilities through to perimenopause and menopause. These arcs are individualized for every woman, but often they overlap and the effects on mental health can be significant along the way.
Employees can be forced to shoulder complex and fragmented systems along this lifecycle, says Eckler Ltd.’s Edward Kuo, noting the most effective strategies coordinate benefits, programs and policies as integrated support rather than treating caregiving, menopause and mental-health issues in isolation.
Read: How employers can support women’s mental health across their working lives
With that in mind, Benefits Canada hosted its inaugural Women’s Health & Wealth Summit on March 5 in Toronto, bringing together plan sponsors and other industry thought leaders to explore and discuss women’s unique benefits, well-being and financial needs. It was an inspiring day and I look forward to sharing the coverage with you all soon.
Jennifer Paterson is the editor of Benefits Canada and the Canadian Investment Review.