Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER DECEMBER 2018 NEWS 11 JOINT VENTURE BY: e ROI of supporting mental health at work Total Health Index provides insights into fi nancial benefi ts of mental health strategy BY BILL HOWATT AS an HR professional, how concerned are you about mental health and its impact on your or- ganization's performance? is question is typically an- swered by: "Not concerned," "somewhat concerned" or "really concerned." e reasons why HR leaders are concerned about mental health vary. Some are becoming motivat- ed to focus on mental health be- cause of growing concerns about increasing disability costs (for example, more employees going on short- and long-term disability due to mental health issues). Others are concerned that one in fi ve employees is experiencing a mental health problem or illness, according to the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), impacting the employee and the organization. And concerns about associated issues such as bullying, work demand and burnout are growing. Every day, 500,000 Canadians miss work due to a mental health problem or mental illness. By 2030, it is estimated mental health will have a US$16-trillion impact on the world economy, accord- ing to the Lancet Commission for Global Mental Health and Sus- tainable Development. e MHCC has taken a lead- ership role in developing and promoting the benefits of the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace for employers and employees to reduce the risk for mental health issues in the workplace. Even with growing concerns and social awareness of the im- portant role employers can play in reducing mental health issues in the workplace, too many HR lead- ers are still not sure how they can engage their senior leaders and provide them with a compelling business reason to pay attention to employee mental health. eir challenge is being able to convince leaders to invest time and dollars in a mental health strategy and programs that are designed for prevention, early de- tection and intervention and sup- port programs. Total Health Index provides insights Morneau Shepell's Total Health Index (THI) research provides insights into some of the fi nancial benefi ts to organizations in im- proving their THI mental health pillar. e mental health pillar is a composite of five smaller psy- chometric behaviour scales that have been scientifi cally validated: general mental health, anxiety, depression, burnout and coping skills. e pillar is not designed to provide any clinical diagnosis, it's meant to provide employees complete insight into their general mental health. Employees who score low are provided with recommendations, such as discussing their scores with a mental health professional to determine if there would be a benefi t for further evaluation. The research question asked was: "What, if any, is the fi nancial impact for an organization for a one-point aggregated score im- provement in the mental health pillar across all employees?" e methodology was to com- pare employers' year-over-year mental health pillar scores and productivity scales to deter- mine the benefi t of a one-point improvement. e results were both encour- aging and interesting. For every one-point improvement in the mental health pillar score, our cal- culations estimate conservatively $153 per full-time equivalent (FTE) across all employees with- in the organization. e fi nancial gain was driven by improvements in attendance, presenteeism and discretionary eff ort. Case study e following is a modest example of the fi nancial benefi t of a men- tal health strategy supported by evidence-based tools like the THI. Company ABC has 2,000 em- ployees. Over a six-month pe- riod, it undertook the following initiatives: • THI was delivered to obtain a baseline. • The organization invested in a mental health strategy and adapted the psychological stan- dard. • It obtained senior leadership buy-in and support. • It completed a psychological safety audit, defi ned key success metrics and integrated psycho- logical safety measures within its OHS management system. • It put in place a mental health steering committee made up of employees and leaders. • It trained 150 leaders to support employees experiencing a men- tal health issue in the workplace. • It enhanced its EAFP program by adding an internet-based cogni- tive behavioural therapy module. • It implemented the program Not Myself Today. • It provided employees with edu- cation on the benefi ts of resil- iency and an option to take the University of New Brunswick Pathway to Coping program on- line. e total cost for the strategy and programs, including usage, was $328,000 ($164 per FTE). In year one, the organization's mental health pillar score was 67. In year two, the score rose to 71, a four-point rise over 12 months. e fi nancial impact: 4 x $153 x 2,000 = $1,224,000. e benefi t cost ratio was 2.73. The important element with measurement is factoring in the fi nancial risk of going down one point, as well as the benefi ts with respect to not only savings but increased employee productivity. Investing in mental health is good business, provided there's clarity and agreement on how success will be measured. Another lesson from the THI research is that when organiza- tions take action that improves all four pillars (physical, mental, work and life) they can realize a fi nancial benefi t. Bill Howatt, Ph.D., Ed.D., is the chief of research, workforce productivity, at the Conference Board of Canada, and former chief of research and develop- ment, workforce productivity, at Mor- neau Shepell. For more information about the Total Health Index (THI), visit www.morneaushepell.com. 12-PART SERIES This is the 11th of a 12- part series on total health that will explore the links between employees' health, engagement and productivity: 1. The total health framework 2. The 4 pillars of the Total Health Index 3. Senior leadership 4. Resiliency 5. Alcohol consumption 6. A respectful workplace 7. Manager effectiveness 8. Financial health 9. Going beyond traditional engagement 10. Productivity 11. Mental health 12. Physical activity, nutrition, sleep Credit: GrAI (Shutterstock) Morneau Shepell offers a full range of mental health solutions to help organizations build and implement a strategy that addresses risks to employee health, productivity and engagement. Helping employers help employees At Morneau Shepell, we understand that a mentally healthy workplace begins with an organizational strategy but requires employee participation in order to succeed. Morneau Shepell works with organizations by leveraging our experience in delivering employee and family assistance programs, absence and disability management solutions, and health and benefit consulting. It's this broad range of experience, services and tools that uniquely positions Morneau Shepell to help employers create mentally healthy workplaces. Supporting your organization and employees to create a mentally healthy workplace Let us help. Discover how our unique approach can improve your workforce engagement and productivity. 1.800.461.9722 | morneaushepell.com

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