Workplace mental health top of mind for Canada’s business leaders

500,000 Canadians miss work every week due to mental illness, and yet 77 per cent of Canadian workers report they would not feel comfortable discussing a mental health problem with their employer.

Last month, more than 80 executive business leaders attended CAMH’s inaugural Business Leaders for Mental Health Action summit—hosted virtually by Sun Life—to discuss one of the most important issues impacting the workplace today: mental health and how to support employees now and in a post-COVID world.

Carole Dagher, Vice President, Legal, Loblaw Companies Limited, provided the keynote address and shared her lived experience as a mother, wife, daughter, friend, former CAMH patient, and executive lawyer.

For Carole, the key to creating psychologically safe workplaces now and in the future comes down to the power of education, vulnerable leadership and sharing stories. She notes that leaders must educate themselves. 

“It’s no longer good enough to simply say, ‘I don’t know anything about mental illness so I’m in no position to help.’ It’s a leader’s job to know what mental illness is and is not, and how to help colleagues living with mental illness.”

Dr. Donna Ferguson is a clinical psychologist in CAMH’s Work Stress and Health Program, and was instrumental in the development of the Workplace Mental Health Playbook for Business Leaders.

Carole also highlighted the importance of reducing stigma by leading with authenticity and vulnerability. Every employee living with a mental illness, she said, should feel comfortable voicing a need for treatment and/or accommodation.

At BMO Financial Group, that meant taking a human approach to supporting open conversations.

“The more human things worked,” said Cameron Fowler, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer. “Ensuring that e-training is available for people, and people managers in particular, to understand what mental health and mental wellness mean, and the things they can do to affect it. Information en masse, all the time, open question and answer discussions, flexible work options – all of these human touches are the most critical.” 

Paula Allen, Global Leader, Research and Total Wellbeing, Morneau Shepell noted the value of open communication and underscored Carole’s third big takeaway: companies need to have a benefits program that allows employees living with a mental illness to seek meaningful treatment options.

Breakout sessions during the event led to key lessons on leading with vulnerability, understanding the mental health needs of diverse teams, and how COVID-19 has uniquely impacted women in the workforce. Leaders spoke about the importance of:

• Understanding the historical context of racism in Canada and that employees from marginalized communities faced challenges before coming to you.
• Having a visible champion is powerful, especially from a leadership position. It often encourages others to speak up as well.
• Women often acting as employees, primary caregivers and more. Leaders must acknowledge the need for, and be prepared to provide, forms of accommodation. 

“Be bold in your commitment and vulnerable in your communication,” challenged Deborah Gillis, President & CEO, CAMH Foundation, as she addressed attendees in her closing remarks. “You have the opportunity to banish stigma by stepping forward to share your own stories. You have the opportunity to open conversations and lead the way. We all need to be equal to this task; to be brave, to be open, and to be vulnerable to lead in our own organizations. It will be hard, but as we saw today, it will be worth it. What will you do next?”