Advancing Workplace Mental Health Panel Discussion

Transcription

1 Advancing Workplace Mental Health Panel Discussion Schedule 2 Employers Conference 2015 #workplacemh

2 Mental Health in the Workplace The Standard and Case Study Project October 6, 2015 Nitika Rewari, Program Manager, Workplace, Mental Health Commission of Canada

3 Mental Health Strategy for Canada Calls for the creation of mentally healthy workplaces, including the broad based adoption of standards for psychological health and safety.

4 Overview The What Nots The Business Case Economic and Social Impact The National Standard on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace The Case Study Project Early Findings Panel Discussion with leading employers

5 WHAT NOTs What I am NOT here to tell you? That workplace mental health is something you can tackle in your workplace in one day, one month, one year That you are starting from scratch! That you can do this off the side of your desk That the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace increases your legal obligations in any way, although it may assist you to fulfill your current obligations That you can or should do this all by yourself (as an employer or as one tasked with implementing strategies to address workplace mental health) That employees don t play a role in this or don t have any accountability

6 Psychological disorders matter to the workplace because They typically occur during their prime working years Lifetime prevalence: 33%+ Often recurring and/or chronic Invisible illness with considerable stigma They impact cognitive, interpersonal, and motivational skills that are essential for productive work and social functioning 2/3 of adults are at work 60% of their waking hours Contribute to accidents, incidents and illness (comorbidity) They take an increasing portion of healthcare and other resources estimated to cost Canadian economy $52 billion 2/3 of cost born by employer

7 Costs of Doing Nothing Presenteesim Absenteesim Disability claims Turnover Grievances / complaints Legal implications

8 Return on Investment According to Towers Watson s Global Workforce Study, employers that successfully invest in supporting both employee health and employee confidence in their financial well being drive a surprisingly high return on investment for stakeholders

9 The Solution: Framework and strategies for continued effort on mental health in the workplace at Ottawa Police Services

10 1. Start by understanding the factors Psychological Support Civility & Respect Recognition & Reward Balance Psychological Protection Organizational Culture Psychological Demands Involvement & Influence Supportive Physical Environment Clear Leadership & Expectations Growth & Development Workload Management Engagement

11 Our Mental Health Sits on a Continuum An individual s mental health can move from good to poor mental health along a gradient on a daily basis

12 2. Implement a strategy National Standard for Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace Programs Policies Benefits Training Assessment Workplace awareness campaigns Occupational health services department Integrated wellness program Peer support programs Self help tools Accommodation policies Return to work plans Employee recognition Space for privacy (e.g. quite room) EAP or EFAP STD & LTD leave Paid leave for medical appointments or family obligations Prescription drug coverage Coverage for psychological services Resiliency Mental health training (e.g. MHFA) Anti stigma training (e.g. The Working Mind) Respect in the workplace Management training Employee surveys (Guarding Work) Interactive Audit Tool Mental Health at Work (Excellence Canada) Health risk assessments

13 Foundation of Management System Approach Management review Continual improvement Act Plan Legal & other requirements Hazard & risk identification and assessment OHS objectives & targets Monitoring & measurement Incident investigation & analysis Internal audits Preventive & corrective action Check Do Preventive & protective measures Emergency prevention, preparedness, & responses Competence & training Communication & awareness Procurement & contracting Management of change

14 Big changes happen one step at a time.

15 Framework: The Standard The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the workplace is a set of guidelines, tools & resources focused on promoting employees psychological health & preventing psychological harm due to workplace factors Voluntary set of tools, not rules Aligned on existing standards and tools Applicable to any organization Intended to enable employers and employees measure progress

16 Purpose of the Standard Prevent psychological harm from conditions in the workplace Promote psychological health in the workplace through support The Goal of the Standard is to facilitate the creation of a workplace in which every effort is made to avoid foreseeable injury to the mental health of employees

17 National Standard for Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace Programs Policies Benefits Training Assessment Workplace awareness campaigns Occupational health services department Integrated wellness program Peer support programs Self help tools Accommodation policies Return to work plans Employee recognition Space for privacy (e.g. quite room) EAP or EFAP STD & LTD leave Paid leave for medical appointments or family obligations Prescription drug coverage Coverage for psychological services Resiliency Mental health training (e.g. MHFA) Anti stigma training (e.g. The Working Mind) Respect in the workplace Management training Employee surveys (Guarding Work) Interactive Audit Tool Mental Health at Work (Excellence Canada) Health risk assessments Accreditation/Certification

18 Implementing the Standard

19 Case Study Project Three year national study (Feb 2014 March 2017) Breakdown barriers to implementation and identify gaps and challenges Determine promising practices Build a strong business case for implementation Inform future revisions to the Standard Identify tools/resources to help with implementation Create a blueprint for future organizations that wish to implement the Standard

20 Geographic representation of participating organizations (head office locations only)

21 Landscape Employee Representation Organization Characteristics at Baseline (43 Total) Unionized Mixed Non Unionized Type Public For Profit Not for Profit Size Small (1 99) Medium ( ) Large (500+) Reach Local/Regional Provincial National

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23 Organizations are implementing the Standard to

24 Why did organizations begin their journey?

25 Implementation Facilitators 1. Active leadership support 2. Adequate structure and resources 3. Organizational size 4. Psychological health awareness 5. Existing Psychological Health and Safety processes, policies, and programs 6. Prior implementation Experience 7. Connection

26 Implementation Barriers 1. Limited access to psychological health data 2. Significant organizational change 3. Inconsistent leadership support 4. Lack of demonstrated employee awareness 5. Inadequate resources 6. Conceptual confusion (e.g. critical events, excessive stress)

27 But don t take my word for it!

28 Panel Discussion

29 Sari Sairanen Sari Sairanen, Director Health and Safety, Unifor Largest Private Sector Union, with more than 305,000 members across the country, working in every major sector of the Canadian economy. The union itself has 400 employees across the country, working at 22 sites.

30 Melissa Barton Melissa Barton, Director, Organizational Development & Healthy Workplace, Sinai Health System A public organization with 446 tertiary care beds, affiliated with the University of Toronto. It has 4,600 full time and part time staff, unionized and non unionized staff, physicians, nurses and volunteers.

31 Lauren Bernardi Lauren Bernardi, Principal, Bernardi Human Resource Law LLP A law firm that practices exclusively in the areas of labour, employment and human rights law. The organization employs seven lawyers and five support staff.

32 Judy Kerling Judy Kerling, Supervisor Health, Safety & Wellness, Region of Peel A public government organization that serves 1.3 million residents in approximately 88,000 businesses in Brampton, Caledon, and Mississauga. Region of Peel has approximately 5,300 employees who work in various departments including: HR, Health, Public Works, Employee and Business services, and Corporate services. 50% of the workforce is unionized, under 4 different union and 12 collective bargaining units.

33 Question 1: What key enablers of success need to be in place for a large organization to obtain buy in from senior leadership behind a multi year framework implementation, such as The Standard?

34 Question 2: Is The Standard applicable for a small to medium sized organization? If so, why?

35 Question 3: What are the key elements of management union relationship that strengthen the implementation journey?

36 Question 4: What lessons have you learned (and can share) that will allow other organizations to pursue their implementation journey with The Standard?

37 Thank you! Questions?

38 Resources Download Action Guide for Employers provides guidelines that encourage executive leadership to commit to making mental health in their workplace a priority Visit Great West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace for free tools & resources: Train employees in Mental Health First Aid so they can recognize emerging mental health problems or crises in themselves and their colleagues, and provide initial help Take advantage of the free and comprehensive set of resources offered by Guarding Minds at Work to help protect and promote psychological health and safety in the workplace Learn about additional solutions for employers and supports for employees offered by Mental Health Works, a national program of the Canadian Mental Health Association Join Partners for Mental Health in taking the pledge to support the improvement of mental health for all Canadians.

39 Monthly Webinars Join us on the last Wednesday of the month at Noon (ET) and learn on exciting topics and be part of the change! Please visit our website at: kinar Or watch them directly on YouTube: