Early intervention, compassion and offering ongoing support, whether through the benefits plan or as an employer, are central to helping employees struggling with mental-health challenges stay engaged and productive at work, according to new research from Desjardins Insurance and the Douglas Institute.
During a session at Benefits Canada’s 2026 Vancouver Benefits Summit, Charmaine Alexander (pictured right), the insurer’s plan sponsor service advisor, said what clearly came through in the study was the importance of a psychologically safe workplace so plan members feel comfortable sharing when they’re struggling and asking for help.
The research also underlined the importance of giving plan members a collaborative stake in any discussions about workplace accommodations, such as scheduling flexibility, work-from-home opportunities or reduced workload, if those are necessary, said Andrew Wood (pictured left), regional vice-president at Desjardins, also speaking during the session.
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The research looked at 100 studies and 30 diagnoses to identify factors that contributed to people being able to stay at work while managing a mental-health condition. The factors that an employer can change included working conditions, a psychosocial work environment (ensuring the workplace is a safe place) and an employee’s functioning at work (their role and whether job expectations are clearly outlined and communicated).
In terms of the factors that can be changed by a collaboration between the individual and their workplace, the research cited an employee’s motivation to stay at work, their work-life balance, the disclosure of their diagnosis, whether their job matches their capabilities and sickness benefits. The factors that can be changed by an individual and their support system were their clinical symptoms, day-to-day functioning, therapy and support from loved ones. And factors that can’t be changed included someone’s professional educational history and social demographic.
Plan sponsors and insurers can foster a supportive workplace by providing guides and educational supports, manager training and flexible scheduling, said Alexander, noting more employers are beginning to look at implementing the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. The support also extends to making sure employees are in roles that suit their skills and capabilities so they’re set up to succeed, giving constructive criticism when discussing performance and truly supporting employees’ work-life balance.
Plan sponsors can also have some influence over factors that individuals can change, such as providing coverage for a range of mental-health practitioners through the benefits plan and making sure employees are aware of those services, said Wood. “If they don’t have the supports there, whether that’s income replacement or a group benefits plan, the drug coverage, different medical practitioners, it really limits their ability to access care.”
Read more coverage of the 2026 Vancouver Benefits Summit.