Business Leaders for Mental Health

Every week, half a million employees in Canada miss work due to mental illness³. This amounts to roughly $6.3 billion in lost productivity every year⁴. And, by 2041, it’s estimated that mental illness will have cost the Canadian economy more than $2.5 trillion⁵.

Many people dedicate most of their time and energy to their job. As a result, supportive environments can make an important difference to employee well-being.

Prioritizing mental health is one of the most important things business leaders can do. It benefits workers, employers, and the economy. That’s why we’re building a coalition of business leaders to join us in creating Canadian workplaces where Mental Health is Health.

In January 2020, CAMH launched the Workplace Mental Health Playbook for Business Leaders. This evidence-informed guide offers a path to more effective solutions and better outcomes for employees and businesses. Later in the year, we released Navigating the New Normal, a supplement providing tips and strategies for workplace mental health during and after the pandemic. The next step on this journey is CAMH’s Business Leaders for Mental Health Action—a coalition committed to improving the psychological wellness of employees, and advocating for other corporations to act.

Participants in the coalition make three pledges and receive CAMH support to build a mentally healthy working environment—no matter where you work.

When you join, your passion for improving mental health and your influence in the business world will affect change across corporate Canada. You will be actively improving the mental health of your employees. At the same time, you will be building better tomorrows for all people experiencing mental illness.

For more information, or to join CAMH’s Business Leaders for Mental Health Action, contact partnerships@camh.ca.