Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace
By Denise Wozniak
A
ccording to a Deloitte Insights report titled “The ROI in workplace mental health programs: Good for people, good for business,” on average, mental health issues account for 30 to 40 per cent of short-term disability (STD) claims and 30 per cent of long-term disability (LTD) claims in Canada. You may feel that those figures are not unusual considering the pandemic we have all been through. However, what you may be surprised to learn is that the Deloitte Insights report was produced in 2019, before the effects of COVID-19 had even been felt. The situation is likely a lot worse now. The one constant between then and now is that many companies are 8
The Alberta Broker April-May 2022
experiencing loss of workers and higher costs due to employee mental health challenges and a search for meaning in their lives. Dr. Anthony C. Klotz, a psychologist and professor at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, originally coined the term “The Great Resignation.” He refers to four pandemic-driven trends, one of which is turnover related to burnout,1 stating: “When viewed through this perspective, what is driving The Great Resignation is fairly straightforward: The pandemic has made many realize their job does not contribute enough (or at all) to their pursuit for happiness and meaning.” 2 How can organizations change policies and practices to reverse this
trend and how do they address the topic of mental health with their employees when they are not trained in that field?
ADVANCES IN MENTAL WELLBEING Solutions to this problem can be found in how psychology has changed in the last half century. Previously, psychology concentrated on “victims” of mental diseases and disorders, discovering what was wrong with people. After a period, the disorders became treatable, some even curable, and mental illnesses were scientifically investigated to discover what was causing them.
