5TH ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARDS
Category: Workplace
Award Winner: MENTAL HEALTH WORKS
CANADIAN MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION (ONTARIO DIVISION) Toronto, Ont.
mentalhealthworks.ca
INVITING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS INTO THE WORKPLACE
BACKGROUND
Recent years have seen more attention paid to mental health issues in the workplace, as companies of all sizes and in all sectors recognize the human and financial impact on workers, businesses and the Canadian economy.
In any given year, an estimated one in four Canadian workers experiences a mental health problem, and 500,000 are absent from the job every day for psychiatric reasons. Mental illness-related claims account for one in three workplace disability claims, which translates into about $33 billion in costs to the Canadian economy annually, and are the leading and increasing cause of both short- and long- term disability claims. There is also growing evidence that employers face legal risks if mental health issues in the workplace are not addressed.
Nationally, mental illness in the workplace costs the Canadian economy approximately $51 billion (roughly four per cent) in lost economic activity each year, in health care service use, lost work days and work disruptions.
Clearly, workplace mental health is an issue of growing urgency that requires action.
OVERVIEW
The Economic Roundtable on Mental Health struck in Ontario in 1998 approached the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division, to explore opportunities to develop hands-on training in the workplace. These discussions led to the creation of Mental Health Works in 2001 as a partnership research project, managed by CMHA Ontario.
The initiative has subsequently expanded and it is now a national initiative raising awareness about mental health in the workplace, improving the skills and capacity of front-line managers and supervisors so they can manage individuals living with a mental illness more effectively, and reducing stigma. Services are offered in both English and French.
Initial speaking engagements were followed by expansion into training workshops and materials, and, in 2004, to workplace mental health services offered to the business community. Training, often customized to meet the needs of clients, addresses the distinct needs of front-line managers, supervisors, leaders and executives, workplace specialists in areas such as occupational health and
human resources, and union representatives.
“It became apparent that we had a lot of systematic problems and no strategic approach. It was also apparent that a key component was to equip managers with the ability to have key conversations about mental health,” explains Donna Hardaker, Mental Health Works’ senior consultant, master trainer and co-developer of many workshops.
From the employee perspective, the group wanted employees to feel heard and to understand that they could continue to be successful at work while living with a mental health problem or illness. The initiative sought to go beyond the conversation between managers and employees, increasing the awareness of mental health concerns in the workplace. “If a lot is going on in the life [of someone experiencing a mental health issue], then a supportive work environment can reduce the level of severity of a mental health disorder,” she explains.
Mental Health Works employs in-person workshops and online webinar-based training, appropriate to clients’ needs, and uses video to tell personal stories. A quarterly online newsletter ensures that 1,000+ past and present clients remain up-to-date on ongoing events in the mental health world.
In 2012, approximately 2,000 people took part in Mental Health Works activities at more than 100 companies and training events. More than 20,000 people and 300 companies, unions and professional associations have participated since 2004. There are, on average, 20 trainers involved every year.
The head office of Mental Health Works resides at the Canadian Mental Health Association – Ontario Division . The initiative is guided by Kathy Jurgens, the National Program Manager, who, along with the support of CMHA – Ontario Division internal accounting, web development and administrative support, manages seven corporate affiliates and seven independent affiliates to deliver licensed products and services.
Following its 2001 launch, Mental Health Works was expanded in 2004 through a grant from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. In 2006, Ontario’s Trillium Foundation provided a three- year grant to further augment and expand the workplace training program.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Initial research undertaken by Mental Health Works confirmed that mental health awareness wasn’t just in short supply in the business world, it was almost nonexistent at all levels and in all positions.
Although managers and co-workers wanted to help one another, they not only lacked the right information, they typically lacked any information.
While managers traditionally have been instructed to notice a problem, approach the employee and determine how an issue can be resolved, this approach may not be effective for employees experiencing a mental health problem or illness. Workers may feel fearful about the issue being discussed, and simply comply with the manager despite the fact that the mental health problem hasn’t been addressed. Or they may be defensive or defiant, leading the manager to consider discipline. Either way, the approach fails. “A different road needs to be taken,” Hardaker says. “We are equipping managers to be more aware. We all need to step back from our assumptions.”
At the same time, early research also pointed to the fact that the high levels of stress and demands placed on managers can often impact their own mental health. Mental Health Works took this into consideration when developing the general training program, and then developed a program specifically for managers.
As with many non-profit endeavours, funding is an ongoing challenge. “We are operating now not
to make a huge profit, but to simply be a sustainable business venture,” explains Jurgens. “My goal is to try to make Mental Health Works affordable for the customers/clients, yet turn a sizable profit in the future through the sheer volume of service delivered, so that all workplaces can benefit from our training in some capacity.”
INNOVATION
By simply addressing the issue of mental illness in the workplace, Mental Health Works is going where few other organizations have gone, and offering training that is new to many businesses.
Because the group understood that businesses differ and have particular needs and processes, Mental Health Works created its own “customized solutions department.” Training and workshops are customized into the program’s deliverables to ensure that both the company’s policies and procedures and Mental Health Works’ recommendations are followed. Live webinars, customer instructors who lead workshops, on-demand solutions and customer product development have all become available through the Mental Health Works website.
The program is scalable beyond the business community. For example, through the custom solutions department, for one of its clients Mental Health Works has been able to create a product for college professors wishing to address mental health issues in a class setting.
The use of video in workshops is an innovative form of virtual peer-support and helps to reduce the stigma of mental health in the workplace. Mental Health Works videos profile people who left work and returned to work after experiencing a mental health issue. Working Through It is a video-based resource for employees who may be struggling with mental health issues in the workplace. This product was co-developed by Mental Health Works and the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario, and enables employees to hear from people who have taken time off work to deal with a mental health issue. It shows the issues that co-workers, friends or loved ones also may be dealing with, which people may have not initially understood.
To enhance operating sustainability and generate additional revenue, Mental Health Works has begun licensing its programs for use by other organizations. A partnership with Organizational Health Inc., for example, enables the company to use the Complex Issues. Clear Solutions program. In 2012, a partnership with Mental Health America of California garnered a grant of $3 million, and the program is expected to be implemented in 2013. Mental Health Works is the core product line being brought to the U.S. market through this affiliation agreement.
MAKING AN IMPACT
The demand for Mental Health Works training and information is testament to the success of the initiative. Approximately 150 requests for training are received from across Canada each year, and companies in the U.S. and Australia have requested consulting and/or the use of products.
Prior to the launch of Mental Health Works, people barely understood the concept of mental health in the workplace. Now, more people are talking about the benefits of a positive mental health environment, to the point where the group is beginning to have difficulty keeping up with demand and is seeking more corporate affiliates to expand service areas and reach.
The stigma surrounding mental health is also being reduced. Through the videos, in particular, everyone has the opportunity to see real people sharing their experiences. It is recognized that through contact-based education (such as the videos), a person’s perceptions and attitudes regarding mental health can be changed.
“People are expecting more from their employers,” Jurgens adds. “The workplace wellness movement
has done this. We want our mental health to be supported at work and, at a minimum, not damaged due to the workplace. I think individuals are becoming savvier. You have champions bubbling up, saying ‘This is not right.’ At the end of the day, mental health is a societal issue. It affects our tax dollars, our health care system, and our quality of life.”
In 2010, customized Issues and Solutions presentations were delivered to small- and medium- sized business and organizations through a number of public sessions. Of the more than 3,000 participants who attended, 94 per cent said the workshop had increased their knowledge about mental health in the workplace and 95.4 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that they would be able to apply this knowledge in their position.
LEARNINGS AND INSIGHTS
As Mental Health Works expanded, it was able to use Canadian Mental Health Association branches across Canada as host locations. It was discovered, however, that staff at these locations didn’t have the capacity to devote themselves full-time to Mental Health Works. In April 2012, the group decided to expand beyond Association branches, and to recruit independent consultant trainers and other corporate affiliates wishing to bring the Mental Health Works product and services to their existing client base. “This is a program where the education is fairly complex,” Jurgens explains. “You need someone with a real strong business sense. You need someone who understands how it works in the corporate world.”
The level of urgency for and appreciation of the conversation about mental health has also been affirmed. Regardless of audience, urgency soon turns to relief and there is almost a silent gratitude expressed by participants when the sensitive topic of mental health in the workplace is finally addressed. “It’s the elephant in the room that we have been avoiding for years and finally we are talking about it,” Hardaker says.
THE FUTURE
In growing to be able to address the needs of businesses of all sizes, Mental Health Works realizes it may be costly for a company of 500+ employees to have each employee attend a workshop. An online package that is easily accessible for employees and employers is being created. This will help companies operating in remote areas, such as in the North, to access services. “Our core content is excellent, so it has become pretty transferable,” Jurgens notes. “We have also migrated our award- winning Working It Out product online for individual mangers and supervisors, and for corporate licensing.”
Mental Health Works conducts a complete content review every three years to ensure it is current.
The 2012 review will be a more complex undertaking because of the program’s rapid growth, and the anticipated release of the 2012 National Standards on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, which is expected to help inform practice. The group plans to re-launch the core program in early 2013. Based on client feedback, it will scale down to a few core generic workshops, while focusing its efforts on training developed through the custom solutions department and a new series of trainings around the new national standard. Mental Health Works is excited to have partnered with Mercer Canada to bring in-depth training to employers around the new standards.
Training programs will continue to be refined and customized, with an expanding repertoire of online materials, and Mental Health Works will also continue to explore partnership and licensing opportunities within Canada and abroad.
By Séamus Smyth and Cathy Nickel Mental Health Commission of Canada
