Pratt & Whitney Canada’s holistic approach to employee mental-health support resulted in a win in the Mental Health Program category for employers with more than 1,000 employees at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Workplace Benefits Awards.

In November 2020, the organization launched a comprehensive mental-health strategy that can detect employees at risk of health issues and support them in a timely manner, said Emmanuelle Gaudette (pictured second from right), the organization’s senior leader for organizational health.

“We’ve had senior leadership engagement [on employee mental health] since the beginning. . . . The program is very visible and also data-driven, so we can really respond to employees and connect the dots within the organization.”

Read: Pratt & Whitney Canada’s winning well-being program centres around four pillars of health

Pratt & Whitney’s internal health services team consists of medical professionals who manage occupational and non-occupational cases, including doctors, nurses, a physiotherapist, a mental-health occupational therapist and a workers’ compensation representative. At each of the organization’s sites, a nurse or human resources representative acts as site leader for the Inspire program.

Its benefits plan also addresses mental health through several offerings including wellness platforms, an employee resilience app, a virtual sleep clinic and its employee assistance program.

In 2024, the company established a peer support network that has grown to more than 80 employees represented across all departments, including 26 managers and four executive leaders who have received mental-health first aid certification form the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Read: Lululemon aiming to train all employees in mental-health first aid

“These ambassadors are crucial, because we inform them about the upcoming initiatives and we rely on them so they can [distribute] the information and promote it throughout the organization,” said Gaudette.

Employees and managers also take part in mental-health training to spot employees who are struggling and to reduce stigma around mental health in the workplace. Following the implementation of these initiatives, an internal survey found two-thirds (67 per cent) of employees said they feel comfortable talking to their manager about mental health.

Since the program’s launch, the employer has reported a decrease in short- and long-term disability incidences. In 2024, it reported an estimated return on investment of 2.76 per cent and cost savings of nearly $11 million.

Tune in to Benefits Canada to learn more about the rest of the 2025 Workplace Benefits Awards winners in the coming days.