The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) marks this year’s Mental Health Week (May 2 to 8) with a salute to workers and employers across the country, who have shown empathy and resilience throughout the shared experience of a historic mass disruption to their workplace.
The MHCC wishes to especially highlight and acknowledge the contributions of front-line workers, including those in health care who may not have had the privilege of working from home, in hybrid or remote environments. We can continue to share our collective empathy for health care workers by protecting and supporting their psychological safety.
At the same time, we recognize that workers and employers, in additional sectors, face emerging and unique challenges in returning to their traditional workplaces or “settling into” hybrid arrangements.
35% of all employed Canadians indicate they are burned out. One in five workers feel they are in crisis or have concerns about their ability to cope. We also know that 30 per cent of short- and long-term disability claims are due to mental health problems and illnesses.
Such findings are what motivated our workplace mental health experts help organizations safeguard their employees’ well-being by prioritizing psychological health and safety — whether in the office, at home, or a combination of both with their new Manager’s Toolkit: Leading in a Hybrid Work Environment
Just like this year’s Mental Health Week theme, empathy is the foundation of this toolkit. It offers practical examples of how to be compassionate during difficult conversations and provides useful tools for navigating the new hybrid workplace. It is important that managers help employees recognize the signs of declining mental health and create workplaces where they can feel safe to speak up or at least know where to get help.
The MHCC is committed to helping employers create and maintain mentally healthy workplaces by providing the tools, information, and supports to ensure that every person in Canada can go to work knowing their organization recognizes the importance of psychological health and safety in the workplace.
SOURCE Mental Health Commission of Canada