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Invest in Your Workplaces鈥擬ental Health at Work Makes Good Business Sense

With most adults spending more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, addressing issues of mental health at work is vitally important for all people in Canada鈥攅specially employers.

Each week in Canada, 500,000 employees are absent from work due to a mental health problem or illness, which is more than a $51-billion annual cost to the economy. It鈥檚 time to ask, what is that cost to your business? From turnover to absenteeism to growing legal implications, not only is ensuring a mentally healthy workplace the right thing to do, it makes good business sense.

A mentally healthy workplace can:

• Foster a positive culture
• Promote employee鈥檚 mental well-being
• Prevent harm to employee mental health
• Support people with mental health problems and illnesses
• Reduce stigma and discrimination

We are committed to promoting positive mental health in the workplace and are in the process of adopting the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. We are also encouraging chambers and boards of trade across Canada to champion mentally healthy workplaces and encourage their member businesses to adopt the Standard.

The Standard

The only 鈥渞ight鈥� way to get started on creating a mentally healthy workplace is to simply start鈥攕mall steps lead to larger impact over time. Fortunately, there are solutions.

Spearheaded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, otherwise known as the Standard, is a framework for organizations to lay the foundation in support of providing a mentally healthy and safe environment for workers. The Standard provides guidance on how to promote psychological health and prevent psychological harm due to workplace factors. It includes tools and resources that are applicable to any organization.

Adopting the Standard can help organizations with:

• Productivity
• Financial performance
• Risk management
• Organizational recruitment
• Employee retention