Survey shows 80% of Canadian employers unsure whether employees would discuss mental health issues

An employer demonstrating support to an employee in a shared space, allowing for openness and discussion of any issues.

New research from Peninsula Group shows the impact that mental health is having on small and medium-sized businesses around the world.

The global HR, employment law and health & safety consultancy surveyed 79,000 businesses across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, revealing the strain that both leaders and employees are feeling.

Raj Singh, CEO at Peninsula Canada, says, “Employers have a duty of care to safeguard the wellbeing of their people. However, the pressures that employers themselves feel can often be overlooked. 1 in 6 Canadian employers surveyed reported experiencing poor mental health over the last year. And when they’re struggling, who do they turn to? 21% spoke to friends and family and only 10% spoke to their GP.

“Interestingly, while 23% of employers surveyed have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) in place, only 2% of employers who have experienced mental ill-health over the last 12 months sought support from it.”

“While it’s encouraging to see an overall decline in mental health-related absences in our survey results, majority of our respondents (80%) say they are not fully confident that their employees would disclose mental health concerns. That’s a huge figure, and it’s clear that more still needs to be done by employers to help bring this number down.

“Whilst the responsibility isn’t solely on the employer, what this does tells us is that mental health stigma in the workplace is still very much present, and more open conversations are needed to reduce it and foster a positive working environment. It can help employers improve workplace performance, as well as provide the necessary accommodations – as is their legal obligation – to further reduce mental health-related absences.

“There is still work to be done to ensure that global workplaces are healthy and happy, both physically and mentally, but it’s clear that progress is being made. The willingness of people to speak about mental health concerns and a change in workplace attitude towards them are major steps in the right direction.”

Key findings include:

    • 1 in 3 employers globally saw increased sickness absence due to mental health over the last 12 months

    • Canada and Ireland have seen the lowest increased rates of absences related to mental health; Australia saw the largest increase

    • Irish and Canadian employers are the least confident that employees would discuss mental health issues with them – 1 in 3 employers in each country said they were either ‘unsure’ or ‘not confident’.

    • The UK is leading the way when it comes to mental health support in the workplace.

    • Employees in Canada are least likely to speak up if they are struggling with their mental health.

    • Only 20% of employers globally offer mental health days in addition to annual leave.

    • 1 in 6 Canadian SME owners and managers have experienced mental health issues in the last 12 months.

    • 1 in 100 Canadian workplaces have a mental health first aider in place, compared with 1 in 8 globally

    • Around 1 in 10 workplaces globally plan to introduce mental health first aiders within the next 12 months.

The stigma around mental health remains

Some employees surveyed expressed strong feelings towards mental health issues, some of which continue to perpetuate the stigma around mental health.

Comments such as “Mental Health is usually attached to over issues in someone’s life. We seek to hire people with healthy lifestyles to avoid such problems!……” and “We want to squash the mental health taboo!“, show there is still work to be done when it comes to employers having fundamental education around mental health and the ways in which work, and workplace culture, can cause or worsen issues for their people.

Where is the disconnect?

Mujda Rasoul, Associate Director of Service at Peninsula Canada, says, “Globally, over half of the leaders surveyed (55%) noticed more open discussions about mental health at work over the last 12 months, and 48% have observed employees, as well as themselves, prioritising work-life balance.

“This begs the question, why are so many leaders not confident their employees would disclose if they were struggling with a mental health issue? If conversations are more open, and work-life balance is on the rise, then where is the disconnect?

“Are the measures being put in place by employers to help manage mental health in the workplace actually being embedded into workplaces or just a tick box exercise?

“Worryingly, our data also shows that 51% of respondents have no plans to introduce support measures such as mental health training, EAPs, or mental health first aiders to their workplace in the next twelve months. It remains to be seen what impact this will have.”

Original Article – Cision