I’m Fine, Thanks – Virtual Opportunities to Support Mental Health

As some organizations prepare to re-open and others prepare to remain closed or work remotely for the long haul, mental health continues to be a very real and timely concern.  According to data from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in partnership with Maru/Matchbox, the majority of Canadians when asked “how are you?” will rely on “I’m fine, thanks”. Although this response reflects a positive emotional state, it is interesting to note the fact that Canadians are actually feeling more negative emotions than positive ones these days (63% negative vs. 37% positive). (Read the full article here) Service Hospitality is continuing to support employers with both their physical and psychological health and safety concerns. 

Service Hospitality’s “Integrating Psychological Health & Safety into your Safety Management System” Webinar on June 9th will walk you through how to integrate psychological health and safety aspects into your existing safety management system.  This training will cover many aspects of your OH&S program such as investigating incidents, assessing hazards, and managing claims.  In 2016, WCB Saskatchewan made it easier for workers to submit psychological injury claims.  Today, we are seeing more and more of these types of claims reported.

Service Hospitality CEO, George Marshall, states “It is not unreasonable to predict that in 10 years from now, 40% of all Workers’ Compensation Board costs could come from psychological injuries.  Those who are proactive in this issue will continue to succeed, whereas those who are not will be in real trouble.”  As with physical injuries, the best way to deal with psychological injuries is to prevent them from happening in the first place. 

Remember, back to work does not equal back to normal.  Support for your employees’ psychological health and safety is a critical, ongoing need for all organizations. 

For more information on mental health from a collection of experts, please join our “Mental Health During COVID-19 Event on May 27^th.”  This is a free, live, virtual event that features mental health experts from Howatt HR, Canadian Mental Health Association – Saskatchewan Division, The Government of Saskatchewan, and more.  For more information on this event, or to register, please visit the event page here.

Service Hospitality also offers Psychological Health and Safety Audits of your workplace.  This audit is based on the CSA Standard on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace and will identify gaps in your system.  Due to the current circumstances, our advisors will conduct these audits virtually, making use of a variety of virtual methods. 

Registration for the above webinars (and all of Service Hospitality’s webinars) is free of charge and full of value.  If you’re unsure where to start, contact a safety advisor today.