2. Managing mental health in the workplace
In Canada, mental health is the leading
cause of both short term and long term
disability claims
When combined as a secondary illness, it
becomes the primary cost. The current
estimated cost to Canadians is $51 Billion per
year
Mental health claims now account for 48% of
all health claims in Canada and for the CAAT
Colleges, 41% of approved LTD claims are for
mental health disabilities.
3. MHCC indicate that adults in their prime
working years are among the hardest hit
Mental illness is just as common in
developing countries as developed first
world countries
4.
5. The Science of Depression
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOK
1tKFFIQI
6. We recognize that there are
organizational challenges
Changing and increasing workplace
demands with fewer resources
Stigma and discomfort with mental illness
can make it more difficult for managers to
discuss issues with employees
7. What’s in it for you?
Increased confidence in dealing with
mental health issues and employees
Employees more engaged because they
feel valued by managers
Productivity and performance problems
may be avoided when mental health
issues are dealt with early
8. The cost of doing nothing
Absenteeism
Presenteeism and lost productivity
Disability claims (std/ltd)
Injuries/illnesses
Grievances or other legal complaints
Turnover
10. Managing mental health in the workplace
Mental illness is a disability under Human
Rights
Mental Health is defined as a state of well
being in which every individual realizes his or
her own potential, can cope with normal
stresses of life, can work productively and is
able to make a contribution to her or her
community
accommodation includes job modifications
and also removal of barriers and inclusive
design
11. Mental illness refers to a wide range of
mental health conditions – disorders that
affect mood, thinking and behaviour.
Examples are depression, anxiety,
schizophrenia, bipolar, obsessive
compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress
disorder, eating disorders and addictive
behaviours.
12. Good mental health is not just the
absence of mental illness. It can be
affected by everyday life and stressors,
including those experienced in the
workplace
Mental health problems and illnesses
affect us all, either directly or through our
family, friends, co-workers
Risk factors
13. Mental illness is a physical, developmental
and psycho social illness that is episodic in
nature. It affects each person differently.
Mental wellbeing should be considered in
the same way as physical wellbeing
through prevention and promotion.
15. The work environment ~
changing minds at work
A supportive work environment can reduce
the onset, severity, impact and duration of a
mental health disorder
A work environment characterized by:
trust, fairness, clear leadership &
expectations, civility & respect, good fit,
growth and development, recognition and
rewards, workload management,
engagement, balance, psychological and
physical safety
16. Studies show (CMHA) that a supportive work
environment generally results in an employee
needing less time off work or need for
accommodation
However, workplace stress contributes to
illness, increases the risk of mental illness,
relapse, and impede effective treatment
And less impact on the family, personal lives
and the work itself
17. Job isn’t to diagnose, counsel or treat but
to notice, offer help, and create an
environment where it’s ok to talk
Increase your knowledge of how best to
address issues early, create a supportive
work environment
Provide resources and addressing barriers
and issues.
18. sick, not weak
Employees can be afraid of being seen as
someone who belongs to a highly
stigmatized group
CMHA – out of 100 cases, only 50 are
aware, 25 seek helps and 10 will receive
effective treatment
Early awareness, identification and
treatment reduces duration, severity and
symptoms
19. Working
Being in the workplace contributes to
recovery and should begin when the
person is starting to regain health
Routine is very important
Social contact
Sense of identity
20. Noticing
Some signs:
Low energy or fatigue
Chronic insomnia, or generally poor sleep
Anxious and worrying
Hypervigilance/paranoia (not based in
reality)
Fear, mulling, ruminating, obsessing
http://www.gwlcentreformentalhealth.com/w
ti/Home.aspx
21. Lack of insight – can be a part of the illness
itself
Defending behaviours
High emotion, high anxiety
Minimizing and avoiding
Worry about stigmatism, discrimination and
exclusion
Boundaries
Attributing all problems to external sources,
blaming others (fear)
23. Check in “noticing”
How are you doing?
I’ve noticed… identify behaviours or
physical changes
… doesn’t seem like you
How can I help?
24. Difficult conversations
Time up front will pay off later ~ resolved
issues, ground work for open safe
communication in the future
Managers can be concerned about
boundaries, there may have been a
history of avoidance and the manager
may be the first person who is addressing
the behaviour
25. Difficult conversations
Need to look at behaviour and try to get
to the unmet needs which is driving all of
this usually
~ can be challenging, assumptions of
incompetence, difficult person, obsessive
Iceberg – 10% showing – which represents
the behaviour, 90% is unseen
26. Performance issues
Employee doesn’t feel valued, not well,
you don’t or s/he doesn’t care, can’t do
the job
Behaviour may not reflect reality
This can be a reaction to ongoing
problems like: not fitting in, not
understanding, worries or fatigue
27. Listening for understanding
To gain the others perspective
Gathering info before moving to problem
solving
Listening with full attention, gain insight,
gain trust, help the employee to be heard
This isn’t about problem solving yet – info
gathering, listening and hearing, seeking
clarification
28. Examples:
Help me understand…
Could you tell me more…
And what is the impact…
This is what I understand…
Reflect back
Remain positive, calm, ~ even if feel at
this time employee is being unfair, get
support from us or resources
29. Office dynamics
Treat mental illness as you would a heart
attack
Contact the employee, keep in touch,
haven’t forgotten
Return to work, help to catch him/her up
Because of stigma, unknown, can
unintentionally hurt the individual by
treating him/her differently
We’re all in this together – acceptance
30. Exploring employee needs
Exploring the employees contribution and
commitment
Exploring prevention
Allow time for the conversation and share
the questions before the meeting
31. Examples
What do you need form the workplace to
be successful in your job?
For your contributions towards your
success at work, what will you commit to?
How do you want future workplace issues
to be addressed?
3 P’s
32. Encouraging language
What would be helpful?
How can we do that in a way that works
for you?
What has worked in the past?
What works well now?
What would you like to see done?
What is the solution that you think would
make this better for everyone?
33. Unmet needs
Recognition
Belonging *
Safety
Clarity
Involve the employee in contributing to
the solution
34. Needs and contributions
Reduction in resistance and increased
compliance (see supplemental materials)
35. Exploring the employee’s
contribution
The well being of the team
Preventing or resolving conflict
Addressing issues early and asking for help
Accomplishing my work tasks
36. Exploring prevention
What can we do to address issues early
To know when issues are arising
If new issues emerge
If these solutions aren’t working, how will
we know?
To plan how employee wants to be
approached
Discuss with the employee how the team
will be informed ~ maintain dignity while
meeting the need for information
37. Employee feels heard and understood
Details are written down for future
reference – non disciplinary
If accommodation is required contact HR
If you need help contact HR
38. RESOURCES
Mental Health Works
www.mentalhealthworks.ca
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
www.cmha.ca
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
www.camh.ca
Working Through It: Stories of reclaiming
wellbeing at work, off work and returning to
work www.gwlcentreformentalhealth.com/wti
Great West
Life Centre for Mental Health in the
Workplace
www.gwlcentreformentalhealth.com
Guarding Minds at Work
www.guardingmindsatwork.ca
Mood Disorders Society of Canada
www.mooddisorderscanada.ca
39. RESOURCES
Mental Health Commission of Canada
www.mentalhealthcommission.ca
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
(CCSA) www.ccsa.ca
The Depression Center and The Panic Center:
Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
www.depressioncenter.net
www.paniccenter.net
Mood disorders Society of Canada
www.mooddisorderscanada.ca
211 www.211.ca Canada’s main source of
information on government and community
bases health and social services
40. Hope for the future
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZC
gWmose3c
Ground rules
If you can, turn off your phone… try not to look at it… you’ll get a break half way through
Everyone is free to speak… We just ask that you keep an open mind and remember our values, carling learning intergrity respect
If you have any questions please feel free.
Please respect confidences… this is about opening a dialogue on a topic that is uncomfortable for many to talk about
Objective today
Reduce stigma “stigma is the attitude and discrimination is the behaviour that results from the negative attitude – thinking less of someone because of his her health condition, resulting in shame for something that isn’t his her choice or fault
Provide information about some known causes, risk factors
Provide some advice on discussions
Even when mental illness was not the primary cause of being off work, it is often why people don’t return to work
We have a bias towards diseases that we can’t see with our own eyes.
Mental health commission of canada
Its difficult enough to be ill… but then to have stigma attached – to have to hide what’s going on… not get support – feel ashamed and to have peers think less of you because you have a health condition.
Stigma can be more difficult than the illness itself according to some and it stops people from getting help
The science of depression
Fewer resources and increasing pace of change, stigma are all organizational challenges. What contributes the challenges here or in your department
short infomercial
RISK FACTORS
Genetics – family and personal history
Trauma
Personal stress – significant distress at home tension illness
Workplace stress – work overload, chaotic environment, changing priorities, high demand and low control, lack of resources, lack of training, lack of social support
The more risk factors, the greater the risk to develop a mental illness
Can also affect other health problems like stroke and cancer
People have different thresholds for managing stress
Good mental health involves finding a balance in all aspects of life, including
Physically
Mentallty
Emotionally
spiritually
There are times of wellness and unwellness.
Affects each person differently, depending on a number of factors, how long ill, severity, resources treatment, on going risk and protective factors eg: treatment but still high stress at work or home or both.
Disorders are often co existing
We now know that behaviour surrounding mental illness is the last item to appear. For example, schitzophrenia begins to show in the brains of childfren around age 5 or 6, but until brain imagining could display this it was widely thought that it appears in the late teens.
Bbc to 8 minutes
Leadership and expectations: a work environment where there is effective leadership and support that helps employees know what they need to do, how their work contributes to the organization, and whether there are impending changes
Civility and respect, CLIR – a work env where employees are respectful and considerate in their interactions with one another, as well as with clients
Good fit between the employees interpersonal and emotional competencies and the requirements of the position they hold
Growth and development – employees receive encouragement and support in the development of their interpersonal, emotional and job skills.
Recognition and reward a work environment where there is appropriate acknowledgement and appreciation of employees efforts in a fair and timely manner
Tasks and responsibilities can be accomplished successfully within the time available
Where employees feel connected to their work and motivated to do their job
There is a recognition of the need for balance between the demands of work, family and personal life - and where employees feel safe – psych and physically
You don’t need to be a mental health expert to talk about it. Its often the everyday things that make a difference…. Asking how are you? What can I do to help
A work environment characterized by trust, honesty and fairness
What stops people from seeking help?
Services may not exist nearby
They may not know what is available
Lack of inexpensive, government supported soruces
Embarassed, ashamed, afraid of being judged
Worry that in future their actions, beliefts opinions are considered to be due to mental illness and may be discounted
Worry about impact on work, peers, friends
They may not know they have a problem
Don’t wait until fully recovered
Routine provides somewhere to go and something to do
Purpose and contribution which is a protective factor for mental health
Social contact – otherwise can become socially isolated which is a predictor for depression
We value work and achieveent and define ourselfves this way
Guy Winch
You don’t have to be an expert to help someone in distress.
Looks for changes to
Physical health, ill more often
Sleep, eating
Personal appearance
Socialability (stop spending time with friends or coworkers)
Punctuality (can be the first sign if it’s a change)
Response to new tasks and familiar tasks
Can handle status quo but any changes – can’t cope
CMHA self reported
Fears about making a mistake, fired, passed over, being able to cope
On return to work – meet, how can I help you succeed. Include the employee and ask how they want to be treated – one way doesn’t work for everyone
What is depression with Kate morton
The 3 P’s
Practical – tasks, equipment, comfortable space
Process – how work is assigned, how the team works together, how the employee is evaluated
Person – isolated, inclusion –
Isolation leaded to problematic behaviour at work
Nobody notices anything I do
I don’t fit in (significant impact belonging to wellbeing)
It\s not my fault – fear making mistakes, fear job loss or status losss
Clarity – difficulty sorting priorities, overwhelmed
Often admitting to reoccurance is difficult for those with mental health issues – it’s common to delay asking for help or to try to hide
Always allow enough time for this meeting
Give the employee a heads up
Andres Lozano
Depression and the switch that might turn them off
Depression begins around 8 minutes
2nd video – the truth about depression, BBC special