Over the past three years, 1,525 employers from across Canada have taken part in MindsMatter, CivicAction’s free online workplace mental-health assessment.
“MindsMatter has helped neutralize the excuses for employers to take action,” said Sevaun Palvetzian, chief executive officer of CivicAction. “We’ve created an on-ramp and accelerated more supportive workplace culture and practices across Canada.”
But the results from the assessment show there’s more work to do. A survey by CivicAction found fewer than one in five participating employers reported they have a system in place to know if these actions are making a difference.
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Among employers that have completed an action since taking the assessment, the vast majority said they saw positive change. The majority (91 per cent) said their workplace was making mental health a greater priority, while 85 per cent said they’re more comfortable discussing mental-health issues and 85 per cent said there’s more awareness of the workplace supports available.
“With numbers like these, . . . there’s never been a more compelling case for workplace mental health,” said Rupert Duchesne, co-chair of CivicAction’s Mental Health in the Workplace Champions Council and director at Mattamy Asset Management Inc. “With a more empowered, supported and high-performing employee team, employers get direct economic benefits, which both fuels growth in the economy and improves peoples’ lives.”
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