A Ceridian survey finds that although 90% of Canadian organizations believe mental health is an important part of a health and wellness strategy, only 22% of respondents believe the services they have in place are adequate.
“The survey results indicate there has been a significant shift in employer thinking,” says Estelle Morrison, the company’s vice-president of clinical and wellness services.
“The previously held view that employers need to support only those employees who are struggling with a mental health problem has evolved to one of supporting all employees in maintaining health prevention.”
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She adds that disease prevention, and not just the treatment of illness, is a foundational element of any effective wellness strategy, including a mental wellness strategy.
The next step for employers seems to be to identify and implement appropriate preventative solutions to support mental health.
“We need to encourage individuals to manage their mental health in the same way they would their physical health,” Morrison says. “Employers can play an important role in shaping how we view our mental health, and in supporting employees in reducing risks that are associated with an increased risk for developing a mental health problem.”
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Following are the other key results from the survey, called Workplace Wellness: A Proactive Stance on Mental Health.
- Eighty-five percent of respondents say employee mental health is either an important component or under consideration to becoming an important component of their organization’s formal wellness strategy.
- Nearly 90% of respondents cited “addressing stress” as their organization’s most significant mental health concern.
- Respondents’ top three priorities for mental health program development are employee effectiveness training, a wellness program to promote self-care and specialized consultations to support people managers in understanding mental health issues.
The survey also finds that more than 40% have reviewed the CSA’s national standard on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. Among those who reported having reviewed the standard, more than 60% were actively reviewing their policies and procedures to assess for compliance.
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