Mental Health at Work

Today in Canada one in five people are living with a mental health problem or illness.  The accommodation and food services, government services, and information and culture industries have the highest prevalence of mental illness.  Specifically, the accommodation and food services industry is one of the top three highest for generalized anxiety disorder and has the second-highest prevalence of mood disorders.  Overall, rates of depression are highest in industries that have the most interaction with the public or with clients.

Although mental health problems are not necessarily the fault of the workplace, the workplace can always be part of the solution.  Protecting your workers’ health and safety, which includes their psychological health and safety, is the employer’s responsibility, and that isn’t going away.

Below is a collection of resources to help build, support, and improve your psychological health and safety program. For more information about any of these topics, please contact Service Hospitality.

To Watch:

For a great introduction of the employer’s responsibilities, start off with our feature video, “The First Steps to Mental Health in the Workplace”.

To Connect:

We have assembled a working group with a mission to work together to implement best practices and positive change for mental health, safety, and claims management.  This group collectively discusses practices and policies and offers training and resources to help promote psychological health and prevent psychological harm due to workplace factors.

For more information on the Mental Health Best Practice Group, visit the webpage here.

To Train:

Already have a Safety Management System, but want to make sure it covers psychological health and safety as well?

Contact Service Hospitality to learn more about our training program, Integrating Mental Health into your Safety Management System.

To Teach:

We are pleased to announce our partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association – Saskatchewan Division.  Working together, we have created a presentation for Grade 7 & 8 students to bring awareness to youth about anxiety, how it can affect their (and others’) mental health, and the resources available to help.  For more information or to book a presentation, visit the webpage here.

To Read:

For an outline of the Workers’ Compensation Board’s legislation and policies on psychological injury claims, we have put together some information.  For more information on the law, the WCB process, or claims management, please contact Service Hospitality.

Can Suicide Be Considered “Work Related”? … Of course it can. (March 2018)

Saskatchewan Bill 39 and what it means to you! (December 2016)

Additional Resources:

Crisis Text Line powered by Kids Help Phone – by texting CONNECT to 686868, you can chat confidentially with a trained, volunteer Crisis Responder for support with any issue – big or small. 

Canadian Mental Health Association – Saskatchewan Division – includes downloadable resources as well as contact information for a local perspective.

WorkSafe Saskatchewan – Online training options about mental health that include awareness, communication strategies, and health and wellness strategies.  Free posters are also available for order (or to print).

Mobile Crisis Regina or Mobile Crisis Saskatoon – The Mobile Crisis website has links and phone numbers to many help lines, including the crisis suicide line and the rural support line.

Accommodating Mental Injuries/Illnesses – information on the legal duty to accommodate, as well as strategies to help with a successful accommodation for all involved parties.

Supporting Employee Success (Accommodation Tool) – This tool consults with the employer, the employee, and the employee’s doctor.  They work together to determine the mental demands of the job and what the employee’s current abilities are.  These three parties can work together to set up an accommodation that meets the three criteria for a workplace accommodation:

• Productive work for the business

• Within the worker’s skills/abilities

• Within the worker’s medical restrictions

Managing Mental Health Matters – a program focused on helping managers, supervisors and other leaders learn how to effectively recognize and manage mental health related issues in the workplace.

Guarding Minds at Work – this site has access to a baseline assessment survey, but also a ton of great resources.  Simply look through the workplace factors and click which PDFs you would like to download.

Hale Health & Safety Consulting – Expert articles and blog posts from an expert in the field, plus access to a collection of courses that tackle some of the biggest mental hhealth-relatedchallenges facing employers.

Bridges Health – a local organization that offers consulting and programs for employers regarding psychological health and safety

Saskatchewan Health Care Facilities Search – Government of Saskatchewan website that allows a quick location search to find health centers close to your location.  This includes addictions and mental health resource centers.

Online Therapy Unit – Provides individuals with online services regarding mental health, the option to enroll for courses as an educator, and to find other relevant resources.